Meetings, Meanings and Might
by Pinkbowbunny
Summary: This is technically a crossover of the Animated Mighty Ducks/Meet the Robinsons and Harry Potter. This is an AU where Cornelius/Lewis wasn't given up for adoption, where a version of his mother, a squib, decided to keep him... And goes on to meet the famous Nosedive Flashblade, who, sensing something about her and Cornelius, decides to become the young woman and son's benefactor..
1. Chapter 1

(( Author's Note: Warnings, some dark themes later, but also, self-indulgent AF, PFT. Has an OC but here's hoping she's tolerable. Nosedive/My OC(Cornelius from Meet the Robinson's birth mother, this is a what if AU where she keeps him instead of giving him up), also Wildwing/Tanya and Duke/Mallory. This is a Mighty Ducks: TAS crossover with Meet the Robinsons and Harry Potter. Cornelius's mom is also the squib daughter of a couple of Harry Potter characters, it's hinted at, if you care to ponder it, and will be revealed later. Hope any possible readers enjoy. If not, meh, whatever. XD XP ))

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"Hey Dive! Happy birth-!" Wildwing's hand slowly lowered from the wave he'd been giving his younger brother, realizing his mistake when his mate, Tanya, nudged him in the ribs. "Oh, uh… Sorry, bro. I forgot…"

Wildwing had been wishing his brother a happy birthday every year, until the last year, when Nosedive had asked him, polite and calm but sadly sure, to stop. It had slipped his mind when he at first noticed the date on the calendar that morning, but now that he saw the forlorn expression on his brother's normally cheerful and energetic face, the reason for it came back to his memory.

Of course Nosedive had loved being wished a happy birthday when he was younger. And even for the first few years After Earth, the year they had dubbed after arriving on the planet they'd begrudgingly come to call their temporary home, he was glad just to have his teammates-turned-family be there for him and care enough to acknowledge and treat him. But year after year had passed, and one year, Nosedive realized that he was the same age Wildwing had been when they arrived on Earth…

30 years old. 8 years stuck on Earth. 8 years missing from his family, his friends, his home…

The years didn't stop passing, either. Wildwing mated off with Tanya. The next year, Duke asked Mallory to be his mate, too.

Then it seemed like those two pairs were always together. Always so in love. So happy.

Always a constant reminder of what Nosedive wanted most in the world.

A reminder, of what he would never have…

There were only two females in their group. And while it was not completely unheard of for one female to share two males, or vice versa – It was considered, as it was in human culture, to be pretty damn freaky. Those from Planet Puck, or' Pucklings', as they were also known, were overwhelmingly monogamous. Tanya and Mallory had made their choices. So now, there was no one left to extend that choice to him…

He would admit it to no one, but Nosedive had, on several occasions, thought about asking Grin to take him as his mate. Besides his own brother Wildwing, Nosedive considered him his closest friend in the group. But although homosexuality and bisexuality was far more common in Puckling culture than polygamy, it was still more uncommon than not, and in the end, he had to admit, if there were another female to distract him, he probably wouldn't be turning his eye towards Grin, who was also twice his age, and seemed to regard him more as a brother or son than anything else.

He did, though, ask Grin if there was a special girl back home that he missed. Grin had replied, zen as ever, but only after the initial skip of a beat, that he had long since found "Inner Peace".

Dive replied, his head hung low, "Yeah, well, I haven't felt very 'at peace' with myself lately…"

Grin somberly laid a hand upon the back of his shoulder. "You don't have to feel at peace if you can't bring yourself to feel that way. Few people are… Like me. I have meditated for years to rid myself of feelings that I consider unnecessary and distracting. For many people, those feelings can be very distracting, even consuming. But even though it might seem irrational to me personally, it's natural for the majority. So just remember this, young grasshopper…"

He then reached in, and hooked his huge, strong arm around Nosedive's back and opposite shoulder, pulling them into a firm, one-armed hug. "Cravings are natural and nothing to be ashamed of. But there is only one vital feeling in this and all other worlds… Love. I know you feel like something is missing from your life, Nosedive. Just know that that isn't it. Despite how lonely I know you must feel sometimes. You are loved..."

Slowly, Nosedive lifted his head up. Then he leaned it against his old friend's beefy bosom. "Thanks, bro…"

Things didn't get better overnight. But by the next day, Nosedive could at least pretend they had.

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Dragaunus had been laying low after a particularly sound thrashing about six years prior, in which he'd taken the worst hit the Ducks had ever managed to land on him and his forces. Grin had been forced to take out Siege for good when the choice came to his life or the lizard juggernaut's. Meanwhile, Duke had pulled a rather brilliant maneuver with Mallory, letting the old wizard think he had the male duck beaten, before Mallory landed a fatal blow. He died cursing Dragaunus for not listening to him about their dark ancestral magic, which then seemingly died with him…

The Saurian lord barely managed to get out with his tail between his legs, but not before Wildwing managed to get a sound shot to his left eye. Chameleon barely managed to get the two of them back to their ship before the Ducks captured them, and since then, they hadn't made a single move. Of course Wildwing and the others knew he would, someday, and they remained ever vigilant. But Nosedive was encouraged to go have fun and be the kid he still was at heart, and it was usually Wildwing or Tanya that stuck by the computer the most, with breaks from Grin, Duke or Mallory.

So on one weekend afternoon, Nosedive was hanging out at his usual spot with Thrash and Mookie at the comic store, which was now much bigger, and also sold plenty of other kinds of merch, like video games and figurines and such, now that a member of the number one most popular hockey team in the country was a business partner with them. The store had been upgraded, and he tended to hang out in the back with his co-managers and watch the security cameras while smaller-time employees ran the front of the store.

On this particular day, a young mother had come in with her young son. She looked to be somewhere in her twenties, tops, with somewhat straight, and somewhat wavy hair - A light, light blonde, and silvery-grey eyes to match Her child, who sort of reminded Dive of his old friend Buzz, only much calmer and withdrawn, had a darker golden blonde mop, and blue eyes like Nosedive. He seemed to be somewhere between five to seven, and surely not much older than that.

Nothing much seemed off about them, except that they seemed a bit timid. They looked around for about five minutes, then went up to the front to stand in line. By then, a man had come into the store by himself. He looked about fifty, with more hair on his face than on his head, and short-ish but with a much bigger gut like Phil. He seemed red-faced and puffed up, like he was pissed about something, and it wasn't long before they found out why. He started to yell at the woman with the young son, who was staring at him in shock and no small amount of fear. Reacting to the woman's plight and the man's odd hostility, Dive and Trash rushed to the front of the store to confront the yelling man.

"Sir, do you have a problem?" Thrash asked first, with Nosedive peeking out from just inside of the back door.

"Not with you – Just with HER." The red, vaguely reptilian man responded, glaring at the woman, who was an inch or so taller than him, but still shrinking away for the sake of her child. "I'm just telling the truth – This WELFARE WHALE has no business coming into this store! Lady I just saw you buy a cake at the store across the street with FOOD STAMPS, now you have the gall to come in here? CAKE isn't a need, lady! VIDEO GAMES aren't a need, lady!" Each time he said the 'L' word it sounded more like the 'B' word, and the woman shrank back another step as he took one forward. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Putting her frightened small child behind her, the woman then stood her ground, and took a step forward, steeling up to the tubby tantrum-thrower's face. "For your information, NOT that it's your business – It's my son's birthday! The cake is for his BIRTHDAY, and so is the ONE video game I promised to let him get for his OLD Gameguy system! We don't usually get things like this, it's a special occasion!"

He interrupted her there with spit spraying from his mouth, which caused her to draw back again, "LADY, when you're that poor, you don't GET to have special occasions! Maybe you should've given your kid up for adoption if you couldn't afford not to leech off of taxpayers to—"

"Alright. I've had 100% freaking enough."

Nosedive stepped out from the back room, his arms crossed and glaring at the man. Unforgivably clueless, the man sputtered at the sight of him, "W-What the hell-? Who is this FREAK?"

"Oh my god..." Mookie groaned through her grin, shaking her head into her hand.

"Dude." Thrash added in a disbelieving monotone, "That 'freak' OWNS the STORE you're in..."

"And I don't take kindly to people harassing others in my store." Dive concluded after them.

The man scoffed, clearly not sharing the opinion of literally every other person in the store, and showing no mercy, despite the tears of fury and stricken sadness and disbelief that sprang to the young mother's eyes. "She's a LEECH. She deserves-"

Nosedive didn't let him get any further than that, interrupting him after placing his knuckles on his hips. "Dude? Do you know what they call people like you where I'm from? People who don't care if women and children don't have food or shelter, who like to spread misery where there was once happiness? We call creeps like that SAURIANS. Cold-blooded LIZARDS. Before those MONSTERS came along and enslaved everyone, my government used to PAY our females to have children and take care of them. And people like you think women should struggle to bring up the children that will someday inherit your planet? You actually WANT your species' legacy to starve and live without any joy in their lives, just so you can feel superior? I really can't tell if that's more evil, or more stupid!"

The man grit his teeth so hard, Dive's stomach turned at the obvious damage he was doing to his enamel. "What the hell did you just say to me-?!"

"Yeah, I'm not repeating myself." He rolled his eyes. "And I'm only saying this once: Get out of my store and do NOT come back. We have cameras all over this property, if we see you anywhere on it, we're calling the police. And if I find out you've harassed or tried to hurt this woman ANYWHERE, I'm making it my personal mission to make sure you never do it again. And keep in mind, I'm a millionaire. If I wanna find someone, I can."

"Why don't you just go back to your own planet, FREAK?" He literally spat back, hocking a wad of gunk right by Nosedive's foot. "You're just as bad as she is!" He added, knocking over a display case of superhero-themed coffee mugs, which shattered on the ground.

"...Well." Nosedive shrugged, pulling out a remote control from his pocket, and pressing a few buttons on it. Within seconds, an alarm started to blare, and then two robotic security guards emerged from the back, scooped up the man in their inescapable metal clutches, and threw him out onto the curb.

"And. Stay. Out." The robots beeped at him before returning to Nosedive's side.

The man stayed there to holler threats and obscenities, even tried throwing his shoes at the store window. But when the police arrived a few minutes later, it was clear by then that had been a bad choice. They arrested him for disturbing the peace, damaging property, and making threats. All of which Nosedive had video footage of. So he wouldn't be getting out of jail very soon at all.

When all that was done and over with, the woman bowed her head and clasped her hands as she groveled, "Mister, I am so, SO sorry!" She was close to tears from the embarrassment. Dive could tell she wanted to just leave by then, but she felt that what had just happened was partially her fault, and that it was her duty to at least apologize.

"Don't sweat it, Miss." Dive waved her off. "He had no right to come in here and treat you like he just did. He was a major creep. Please, don't let him stop you from getting what you came for."

The few other customers had gone by then, and Thrash motioned her to come up to the counter. "So what'll it be, Ma'am?"

"Well," She replied meekly, pulling out an old, beat up Gameguy box, red with peeling Teenage Radioactive Samurai Frog stickers on it. "We got this at a yard sale last year, and he's beaten all the games that came with it. We were just wondering if you had any other games for it?"

Thrash immediately looked apologetic. "Oh, dang... I'm sorry, Miss. But this system is really, really old... Like, the oldest. I'm afraid we don't even carry games for this system anymore..."

"Oh no..." She looked positively mortified now. "I caused you all that trouble, and now I can't even make a purchase... I'm so terribly sorry. We'll go now..."

The young boy at her side was crestfallen, and having heard that it was his birthday, Nosedive just couldn't have that. "Hey. Wait. Don't go just yet."

They stopped and turned, prepared to apologize again, but then Dive started to walk around the store, picking up one thing after the other. The newest handheld 3D gaming system, a shiny protective case for it, and a Teenage Radioactive Samurai Frog figurine. Then he went up to the boy, and told him, "Alright, now I want you to go ahead and pick out at least four games for your new 3DX here. Whatever you want. It's on me."

The woman somehow managed to gasp louder than her son, who looked back at her for permission, which she wasn't sure if she could give right away. "You can't be serious-?"

"I'm dead serious!" Nosedive replied surely. "Every kid deserves to have a good birthday, and I won't have that Major Creep ruin his!"

"But-!" She covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "That's got to be at least 500 dollars worth of merchandise! I couldn't possible accept such a generous offer, especially after all the damage we caused you..."

Dive rolled his eyes. "Yeah, again, Major Creep did that, not you or your son. And again, I'm a millionaire. This is seriously nothing to me. In fact, I feel it's the least I could do after you go harassed in my store. Please feel free to accept - I promise there's no strings attached. I just want your son to have the birthday he deserves."

The boy was looking up at his mother with begging eyes, so of course she couldn't even dream of denying him anymore. "W-Well... If you're absolutely sure it's alright...?"

"Absolutely." Dive replied in a heartbeat, and it didn't take any longer than that for the boy to go looking for the games he was allowed. After a few moments of indecisiveness, he finally picked out a 'Monster in your Pocket' game, a TRSF game, a Legend of Grizelda game, and a game called 'Magic Mayhem'.

He gave his mother the games to inspect first, and she was fine with the first three choices, but gave pause at the last. "Magic Mayhem? Cornelius, you know how I feel about magic..."

"Aw mom, pleeeease?" He pleaded, pouting up at her. "It looks really cool! You get to choose whether to be a Good Witch or a Bad Witch! I promise I'll be a Good Witch?"

"Well... I suppose it'll be okay, just this once..." She finally conceded hesitantly, not wanting to dampen his special day by worrying too much.

After ringing up the selections and paying for them with his card, Nosedive handed the bag of purchases to the young boy, who was hopping on his feet from so much excitement. "This is the BEST birthday I've ever had! Thank you so, SO much, Mister!" He exclaimed already in a hurry to get everything out if it's package.

The young mother proceeded to lay her hand on top of Nosedive's down-covered one, and added to him in a very serious whisper. "I really can't thank you enough for this... In all my life, no one's ever shown me this much generosity. I don't know how yet, but I promise I'm going to make this up to you. Thank you for making this my son's best birthday yet."

Nosedive shook his head. "Hearing that is more than thanks enough. You guys go on and enjoy your special day now~"

He then smiled after the two as the walked out of the store, with the boy shouting in excitement at how amazing the new graphics were.

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A couple of months passed after that day, and Nosedive had almost forgotten about the woman and her young son with the funny name, until one day, they came into the store again out of the blue. The mother still seemed about as timid as he remembered, but the boy happily set to looking at the new games with enthusiasm, picking out several of them in record time.

Dive whistled as he watched the boy add one game after the other to his basket, "Wow, mom's really treating you today, huh?"

"Yeah!" He smiled obliviously, picking out another, rather expensive title. "She said I can pick out 500 dollars worth, to pay you back for how nice you were to us last time!"

His mother smacked her forehead as he blurted that out, and Nosedive grinned back at her. "Oh she did, did she?"

He could tell she was the type of person who would never normally spend that much on video games, and that the only reason she was doing so today was to try and pay him back for his generosity.

But, he wasn't about to have her spend every extra dollar she'd saved up over the last two months to pay back a millionaire that didn't need it, either.

So, while she wasn't looking, he picked out a copy of everything he's seen her son pick out, and then rung it up himself. So by the time they got to the register, all he had to do was hand them a bag. "Sorry ma'am, but your money's no good here~"

Her eyes were as wide as saucers. "You've got to be kidding me..." She sighed. "Sir, this is really FAR too much - I just can't accept this! I have to pay you back SOMEHOW! It just doesn't feel right to me not to!"

He sighed back, and shrugged. "Alright, if you insist... Chili dogs."

"...What?"

"Chili dogs. They're my fave. Make me some chili dogs for dinner, and I'll consider us even."

The woman was completely silent for about five seconds, openly staring at him in shock. Then she let out an exasperated breath, reached for a pen on the counter, and wrote something down on the back of the receipt he had given her. It was her home address and phone number. "Meet me here at 7 o clock tonight. You're going to have the best chili dog dinner of your LIFE!"

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Nosedive left the shop early that evening, and left a message for his teammates to not wait up for him at dinner, that he would be 'going out to eat'. It technically wasn't a lie... He just didn't think they needed to know every detail. It would only worry them, and with how shy and timid Karen seemed to be, he didn't want her to get startled as a result of a surprise visit from a nosy, distrusting teammate...

Upon reaching her home, the first thing he noticed was that it was not a 'house' proper, but instead, an apartment. The single window to her domicile had the floral-print blinds closed, and several potted flowers sitting on the sill. There was also a daisy wreath hanging on the door, and the welcome mat at his feet bore the likeness of sunflowers.

He knocked twice, but before his knuckled hit the door the third time, he heard someone rushing around inside, and a second later, the young Cornelius had opened the door. "Heya Mister Flashblade!" No doubt he had learned his name, and several other random facts about him, through a magazine or an online article.

"Whoa, buddy-" Nosedive corrected him right away. "Mister Flashblade was my father. You can just call me Nosedive, or better yet, just Dive. So, how's everything going? Something smells really good in there!"

The young boy smirked up at him, crossing his arms. "Yeah, she pretty much took your request as a personal challenge..."

He lifted his bill up further and continued sniffing. "Well it smells like I'm going to enjoy this challenge, if I do say so myself!"

"Well, I should certainly hope so." The young mother added as she emerged from the kitchen - That is, a pitifully small hole in the wall that she used as a kitchen. She and her son shared a studio apartment that was even smaller than Nosedive's entire bedroom. In all honesty it made him feel a little claustrophobic, but he politely ignored it - And at least it was brightly colored, with floral print wallpaper, and Cornelius' school accomplishments taped all over the wall. From how little space there was between, it was clear the boy was a prodigy. "You've paid for the meal hundreds of times over, after all..."

He shrugged. "Money really isn't an issue for me. Seriously. I really don't mind. I can tell your son is a real smart kid, and video games help keep sharp minds thinking quick! How old did you turn this year, by the way? I forgot to ask. And uh... Well, I guess I forgot to ask your names, too..." He added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

The young woman smiled softly at him. "I almost can't believe how kind you are. Everything you've done for us, and you don't even know our names! Well. I'm Karen. Karen Robinson. And my son is called Cornelius."

"And I'm seven!" He added with a big, bright smile, holding out a hand to shake, almost like an adult.

"I figured you were about that age, although you talk so smart, I almost thought you might be older." Dive mentioned, taking his small hand in his downy feather-covered one, and shaking it.

He turned to extend the same courtesy to Karen, but she quickly ducked back into the kitchen, explaining as she did so, "Oh! Sorry, I've just been chopping jalapeno peppers, and the juice is still on my hands. Hold on..."

The sound of running water followed, and two minutes later, she came out with her hands full of dishes, which she then began to pile at the small table that stood just outside of her cubby of a kitchen. Two of the chairs that sat there were obviously older than the third, which incidentally was the seat they left for him.

He sat, and watched without a word about her forgotten handshake as she began filling the table with every fixing imaginable. There was of course, the usual suspects - The grated cheddar, the sour cream, and onions, both raw and caramelized. But then she kept bringing more and more plates out, one with bacon, jalapenos, and tomatoes. Scallions, black olives, avocado, corn chips and salsa. Then she brought out a steaming pot full of chili, bubbling hot and fresh, and Nosedive's tongue began to salivate with anticipation.

Then she brought out the actual hot dogs themselves, and Nosedive couldn't help it, he had to stop and stare. Gawk, more like. They weren't the usual steamed wieners he was used to. They had been spiral-cut into the shape of a curled spring, and then sizzled in a pan to perfection.

Well, perfect to Cornelius, who set to explaining right away as he loaded one of the strange curly hot dogs into a bun and began loading it with chili and cheese. "It's more work, but we've found that cutting the hot dogs into this shape gives you more toppings in between each bite of dog! It's the perfect dog to fixing ratio!"

"Cornelius is very scientific." Karen added as she made her own place, and urged Nosedive to do so too. "It's his specialty in school, although he doesn't really have any poor subjects." She beamed proudly at the boy. "He's always thinking of ways to improve, well, just about anything! He's the one who suggested we start cutting them this way, and well, I must say, I really like them this way now!"

"They sure look... Different!" Dive snorted, keeping his thoughts to himself as he began overloading his hot dog with chili, cheese, onions, jalapenos and bacon. Despite the childish voice in his head making him a little sick with reminders of what else those kinds of hot dogs looked like to him, he was too hungry to care, and too polite not to at least try the weird-looking things. Cutting off a piece with his fork, he shoveled it into his beak, along with an extra big bite of the chili. He savored the flavor for several seconds as he chewed, the taste of Nirvana washing over him. The texture of the hog dog was weird, but the chili was easily the best he'd ever had in his life. "Mmm! Oh man, what brand of chili is this?"

She smirked and shrugged. "My brand? I made it from scratch."

He immediately took another bite, and another. "Oh man! Now that's totally a one thousand dollar chili dog. And I've had a LOT of chili dogs in my life."

She blushed and looked aside. "Oh, I'm sure you're just saying that. But thank you. I, um, picked out all-beef hot dogs too. I hope that's okay. I mean, that is - I mean no offense, but I thought that it might be rude, to serve a hot dog made of poultry..."

Nosedive quickly swallowed the bite in his mouth as he fought back the chuckles. "Oh? Haha, well, thanks for the consideration. I do prefer beef dogs, myself. And, yeah, definitely wouldn't want to try any hot dogs made out of duck meat, but... Well, to be honest, back on my home planet, our sources of meat came from what we referred to as "Lesser Birds". Chicken, quail, sparrows. That kind if thing. I mean, it's just, we didn't have cows or pigs or any of those animals on my planet. Only birds and fish. It was pretty much the same for our neighboring planets, too - Planet Falconia and Planet Emperius. The planet of Falcon-people and Penguin-people. Though I've only heard tales of those places, I've never visited them myself... But, sorry for the rant there! I'm actually not even supposed to talk about Puckworld to humans. We get a lot of weirdos trying to get this kind of information from us. But, yanno... I'm sure I can trust you guys to keep it secret. Right?"

Both Karen and Cornelius has stopped eating while listening to his tale, engrossed with all the details. But his sudden inquiry snapped then out of it, and Karen was quick to reassure him, "Oh! Of course! No, I understand completely! My parents were always extremely secretive people, so I know how to keep a secret very well! You can trust me. I wouldn't tell a soul, I swear it..."

The son nodded his head surely as well. "Me too! I promise I won't tell anyone else - But, would you tell us more? I think it's SO cool that you come from another planet. I want to know as much as you'll tell us!"

"But don't pressure him, Cornelius..." Karen added quietly, even though Nosedive would see her eyes burning with curiosity as well.

Dive shook his head right away. "I don't feel pressured. Really. It's actually kind of nice to have someone I can tell about my home, after all these years... You're sure you don't mind, though?"

"Of course not!" They both insisted right away, leaving everyone giggling at their thinly-veiled enthusiasm.

"So..." Karen continued a moment later. "Is it true, what you said that day? That your people actually paid their females to take care of children? It sounds like paradise to me..."

Dive paused a bit before giving her a short nod, and replied, "They're called Nurturers. And technically males could be them too, it's just usually the females that do... I actually gave a bit of thought to being one at one point though. Because my mom was one..."

Karen looked down at her plate. "I'm so sorry... You must miss her terribly."

He nodded again. "I'm just glad she was still okay the last I saw of her, though. We led the Saurians away into this dimension, so hopefully the Resistance Forces managed to get rid of the remaining Droids, and rebuild the planet. I'd like to hope that's what happened, and that my mother moved on and started a new family. I hope she's happy again by now, even though she doesn't have me, or Wildwing, or... Dad." He sighed deeply, fidgeting with his fork and pushing the last few beans on his plate around aimlessly. "My father... He was killed trying to fight off the Saurians. Trying to keep us and mom from being taken from our home, and enslaved..."

"I'm so sorry Nosedive..." Karen breathed. "Your father was a very brave man. And I'm sure your mother still misses you, and always will. But I hope she's found happiness again too..."

He looked up again, and smiled. "Thank you, Karen. You're too kind. I guess you must get that from your folks?" He guessed, subtly pressing her to talk about herself now, since he had blathered on about his life for a while.

To his surprise though, she immediately began to shake her head. "Oh no, not at all. My mother and father were cruel, uncaring, and very prejudiced people... They thought they were better than everyone else, for the most ridiculous reasons. I think they were too cowardly to kill anyone, but they supported others who did so. Times have been hard, but I wouldn't go back to them for anything in the world..."

"I'm sorry..." He nodded in understanding, surmising by the blonde hair and light skin that the mother and son sported, that her parents had probably been "Skinheads" or members of the KKK. "So... Have you lived here all your life, or did you come from somewhere else? Like, maybe, the South...?" He guessed, trying to see if his hunch was right.

She shook her head, "My parents actually lived in the UK. But I wanted to get as far away from them as I could. Plus, it was always very grey and rainy where I came from. I wanted to live somewhere sunny. And I heard California was the Sunshine State. Except, it turns out that was technically Florida... Common mistake, it seems. But it's still very sunny here, and after the trip I didn't have any money left, so, here in the Golden State I stayed..."

"Wow!" Dive whistled. "All the way from the UK? I guess now that you mention it I can kind of hear the accent, but, you sound mostly American!"

She shrugged with a small smile. "Well, as they say - When in Rome, do as the Romans do? It wasn't that hard to pick it up, though. My parents never really let me out of the house, so, honestly, I've talked to more Americans than I have British people..."

He nodded, and finished off the last of his chili, before helping himself to another serving - Sans the curly hot dog. "This chili is seriously the best!" He boasted in between "mmm"s and "mm-mm-mmm"s.

"I could give you the recipe?" She offered, and that gave Dive pause.

"You know..." He mentioned slowly. "I think I have a better idea..."

Smiling as he finished off his chili, he inquired, "Where do you work, Karen? If you don't mind me asking? Do you like your job?"

"Hmm? Oh, well... I'm a waitress..." She mentioned rather sheepishly. Despite anything else she said, she clearly wasn't proud of the job. "It's alright though! It keeps a roof over our heads, at least..." And barely that, considering how tiny the place was, and that she still had to apply for food stamps despite it...

Dive nodded, linking his fingers under his chin. "But... You'd probably quit that job, if you could find something that paid better, right?"

She pursed her lips in a straight line, and shrugged. "Well, of course!"

"Well then... What if I were to offer you a job?"

She blinked like an owl. "W... What?"

"Well," He went on more confidently. "In my opinion, you're clearly a professional Nurturer. Your son is doing great in school, you feed him well, you keep a clean home, and you're just really sweet, to be completely honest - And I very strongly feel like you should be getting paid for it!" He concluded, flashing her a grin. "For that, and maybe letting me have a plate of whatever delicious thing you're cooking up maybe once or twice a week, and letting me yak your head off... Well, I dunno, how does ten thousand a month sound?"

Karen seemed to be struggling with the bite she had just taken. Thinking quick, Cornelius ran into the kitchen and came back with three cans of lemonade, the first of which he gave his mother, who quickly used it to wash down the bite she was choking on. "You're crazy... You MUST be joking..." She told him, staring with eyes wider than they've ever been. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love to be your friend, but - I can't just let you pay me for it, let alone such a ridiculous amount!"

He rolled his eyes at the word 'ridiculous'. He'd actually been thinking of offering more. "Listen, Karen - I mentioned before that I'm a millionaire. The average hockey player makes about 2.4 mil a year. But my team is, hands down, the most popular team in the league. We each make close to 5 million a year. Plus I own a few dozen video game and comic book stores across the US. Trust me when I say, what I'm offering you is barely a drop in my bucket."

"But still-" She tried to protest, but he put a hand up, signaling for her to hear him the rest of the way out.

"BUT, the thing is, my 'bucket' is way different than the average hockey player's? Human hockey players don't have to worry about someday having to leave the planet if they ever manage to find a way back home to their own dimension. And if that ever happens, well - Your government is going to seize all of our assets, there's no question about it. It's why my team gives so freely to charity, since we don't have to deal with the Saurians as much anymore. We still monitor them, but we landed a pretty huge blow to them last time we fought. If they do try anything again, it'd be a bad move on their part, especially since we seized and destroyed a bunch of their Saurian technology. So we've got a lot of money to spare. Like, a LOT lot. So... Please, Karen. I'd really like to do this for you. More than I'd like for a bunch of greedy bureaucrats to take it all, anyways. I'd like for you to be able to get a bigger, nicer place to live - At least a nice two bedroom apartment so you and your son can both have a room to yourselves? Plus, it should be enough that if you put a chunk aside every month, you'll be able to send your son to just about any college he wants to go to once he's older. And well... Yeah, I'd like to keep coming around and enjoying your company, if you don't mind me doing so...?"

He had her at the word 'college', he could see it in her eyes, which flicked down to her son, who was looking back at her pleadingly. But she seemed to be in a state of shock, and couldn't think of what to say right away. After a few seconds of pondering, she reached down, and gave herself a firm pinch. Only then did she finally breathe out, "This is just so much. Just, too much..."

Dive was about to answer flippantly 'Not for me', to reassure her again that it was truly just a drop in the bucket for him. But then he rethought his initial comment, and rerouted it, understanding that it might not be a big deal to him, but it was literally life-changing for her. So instead he answered, "Not... For someone who deserves it."

"And Mom, you -totally- deserve it." Cornelius added immediately, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Nosedive nodded, then outstretched his hand to her over the table. "So?"

She only hesitated a second more, before both her hands shot out and clasped his firmly. "You show up for dinner any day of the week, okay? And you yak my ear off until dawn if you want to!"

Cornelius and Nosedive both grinned, and the latter nodded once more as he added his second hand over hers and shook on it. "Alright!" He crowed, "Slammin', dude!"

He felt like he hadn't said something 'cool' like that enough lately.

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Dive didn't want to look desperate, of course. But he really wanted to hang out with his new friends again. He let at least three days pass, even though Karen had given him her phone number and insisted that he call anytime. But by the third day, a Saturday, he was getting a strong urge for something home-cooked again, and the company of a couple of new and interesting folks.

The phone only rang twice before she picked up. "Hey Nosedive!" Karen greeted him, "You called just in time! I was about to take Cornelius to the park before we go shopping for dinner. Would you like to meet us there? And then you can tell me what you're craving~"

Craving the company more than anything, but also in the mood for a big bowl of taco salad, Dive readily agreed, and headed off to the park that she had directed him to. He arrived by motorcycle only minutes after Karen had, and she and her son were still waiting in the parking lot, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the trunk of her old, beat-up car, which had once been a shinier shade of night sky blue, but was now a dusty navy.

She offered him the contents of a picnic basket, which had an additional PB and J, some small bags of barbecue chips, and cans of orange soda - The good kind, with real orange juice. He politely took a sandwich and some juice, and joined them by the hood of her car, listening instead of yakking himself as Cornelius told him about getting an A on the math test he'd just been given the day before, and how a cool new kid had just joined his class.

"His name is Mike McGuyer. He used to be an orphan but then that famous baseball player Mark McGuyer adopted him. I guess his old last name used to be Yagoobian, so he tells everybody to call him Goob."

"Hey, I've met McGuyer. Nice guy!" Dive commented shortly, smacking peanut butter off the roof of his bill. "Nice house, too. Went to a party there one time."

"Yeah! I've heard he's got his own baseball field in his backyard, AND a miniature golf course!" The blonde boy gasped.

"Yup." Dive nodded, washing down the rest of the PB with a splash of soda. "And a pool."

"Yeah! I'm totally jealous, of course..." He admitted, "But not because of that stuff... I mean, yeah that too, obviously, but, it's mostly the talent in sports I'm talking about..." He put his sandwich down suddenly as began to emote wildly with his hands, pretending to be throwing balls and holding up bats. "Goob NEVER flinches when the ball's coming at him, and this kid, he's smaller than me! He's practically a BEAN and he just stares at the ball when it's coming at him without blinking, it's too cool! He's modest so he says it's just coz he practices with the ball-throwing machine all the time, and strangely, stressing to remember to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, but yeah, I guess hitting balls thrown by one of those crazy, scary things would make the average kid pitcher seem like nothing!" He somehow grinned even more as he then locked eyes with Dive. "And MAN, dude-The way you skate out there and handle yourself on the ice against all those jacked-up hockey-jockeys, and THEN you went and fought a bunch of psycho alien lizards afterwards? I know this all happened before I was even born, but, aaaaaugh, it's just so COOL!"

Dive grinned to the side bashfully, and took another sip of pop before answering. "Well man, I mean yeah, but, I was just doing what I had to do. I only -wanted- to fight the Saurians because I was so pissed off at them for what the did to my family... Er. Excuse the language, but... Yeah, I never really wanted to be doing it. I had to, needed to, after what they did to my dad, my people, and my planet... But, yeah. I'd MUCH rather be reading comics, hanging out with friends, finding fresh new bites - Just, screw war, yanno?" He ended, letting the grin fall with a sigh.

To his surprise, Karen had gotten a very pensive, deep look in her eyes as he explained his feelings and experiences, and then she nodded several times as he concluded. "Yes. War is... So very awful..."

There was no way she wasn't speaking from experience herself. But for the sake of her innocent child, she quickly shook her own feelings and memories away, and gave her child the most appropriate answer she could. "Nosedive might seem like a superhero to you, child - But he's also a person with his own feelings. Just be glad there's so little crime in this area. It's so much finer to live in a caring civilization! Where people help take care of people, and then, people can help take care of the ducks!" She laughed, as a couple of white-feathered male ducks and a couple of female geese came waddling over, quacking and honking for bites of their half-eaten sandwiches.

Dive laughed too, and Cornelius tore off his crust and threw it to the white ducks. However, the much larger Gooses chased them away, and ate it themselves.

"Poor guys." Nosedive cooed, tearing his sandwich in half, and throwing the smaller half to the side for the goose girls to chase after. Then he tore the remaining half in two, and threw it to the ducks.

Cornelius asked suddenly, "Is it weird, seeing ducks like this? Or did you guys have little ducks on your planet?"

Dive shook his head right away. "No, no ducks like this on our planet. And, it was pretty weird for us, at first. I mean, can you imagine seeing a really little wild human, that bigger people regularly eat? I mean there's none of those on any planet I've seen but I'm sure it'd be something like that?" He guessed.

"Weird!" Both mother and son remarked at once. But then the mother added, "Then again though, babies can come close, besides the eating part, of course..."

Cornelius rolled his eyes and groaned, "Mooom, please don't..."

"I won't..." But at Nosedive's questioning face, she slyly added, "Bore Nosedive with any cute, embarrassing moment of baby-Cornelius~"

"Hey-" Nosedive quickly butted in there, "I of course wouldn't ask about that, but, do you mind if I do ask, why did you name him Cornelius? It's just such a... Really unique name!"

At that, Cornelius was the one to cross his arms and answer for her, "She just looked at me, and said, 'He looks like a Cornelius!'."

"He did!" Karen immediately defended herself. "He still does! Other people have told me he looks more like a Louis, apparently? But I just always thought he looked like a Cornelius!"

Nosedive laughed a slightly quack-ish laugh. "Well, I guess? But I could see either one of you as anything!"

"Like what?" Karen went on to inquire, very curious. "What would you see Cornelius as, and what name would you think would better suit me?"

Nosedive blinked, curious himself. "Well! I agree with your mom on you looking like a Cornelius, but I could also see Lewis or Lou! And as for Karen, well, that's the perfect name for you, of course, but, if I had to choose another... Oh, I dunno... Rose?" He grinned and immediately explained, "Your hair is the color of some white and yellow roses I've seen."

There Cornelius butted in, "Her middle name is Rose, actually!"

Nosedive made a victory fist. "Alright! And I dunnoooo, maybe Mercy, or, Madonna-"

"What?" Karen suddenly interrupted, her face suddenly extremely serious, when she had just been smiling. "What was that last one?"

"Oh! Pft, you know - Madonna! Like, the singer?" He was a little nervous about her sudden seriousness, but he tried to act cool.

It paid off. She suddenly erupted into giggles and snorts that wouldn't stop for quite a while. "Oh my goodness! What an amazing imagination you have there, Dive!" She finally managed to exclaim through her nervousness, which pleased him very much.

"I do try..." He shrugged coolly, though her behavior still left him with many questions he wasn't sure yet if he could question. He was glad, at least, that she could manage a smile despite it.

Well, she was managing to, until, suddenly, something rather unexpected happened. A tawny brown female duck had come to try her luck at a piece of bread, and the two white males, with bread in their bellies, suddenly went at her, the both of them.

Nosedive could no longer act so cool - He groaned with embarrassment and smacked his forehead. "Oh come on guys, that's not gentlemanly at all! Aww man, I cannot even imagine how this could get any more awkward..." He noted, covering his eyes and looking away. Unfortunately nature had to take it's course...

Karen, on the verge of getting a little upset, face pink and growing redder, tried to pull Cornelius away too. But before she did, the boy suddenly gasped with disgust, and exclaimed, "Oh! Oh, uh, uuuck... I just realized why you didn't want to eat the hot dogs last week!"

Now Karen was definitely red, and she exclaimed in a reprimanding tone, "Cornelius!"

Nosedive blinked, more like an owl than a duck for a moment, and added, "No, wait-There it is. We are now officially on Planet Awkward..."

His mind started racing on how to diffuse such a massively weird revelation, when suddenly, the emergency tone on his cell phone went off. A tone he hadn't heard in years. It signaled that ol' Lizard Lips was up to something... But for the first time in more than six whole years? And apparently at a... What the... A furniture store?

"Uhhhh, so, HEY," He went on, glad to tell the honest truth for once. "This is crazy, but, it turns out Dragaunus is up to something, right now. I gotta split. But uh, yeah, hopefully later, maybe...?" He abandoned that thought and the whole situation entirely on the spot with glee as he motioned to his motorcycle and promptly then ran to it with no more than a, "Gotta go!"

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Nosedive met the others last at the scene of the crime, and Wildwing started filling him in as soon as he arrived. "This is really weird, bro... Beds. He stole beds. By himself, no Chameleon. Then he stole as many extra mattresses as he could manage before we got here, and then he fled on the spot..."

"Redecorating on a budget?" Dive guessed as a joke, but his worried brow was thinking the same logic as the rest of them.

Tanya was the one to say it, though. "Yeah, but, that many? It kinda sounds more like... Yanno, like he's expecting some kind of company...?"

Considering the fact that Tanya was also 'expecting', this was especially something to worry about...

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	2. Chapter 2

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A full week passed after that before Nosedive tried calling Karen again. He had mostly devoted himself to helping the team after the unexpected blip on their lizard radar. But there wasn't much of anything to do until Dragon-breath made another peep - And he wasn't peepin'. So after that little bit of weirdness, everything went back to normal again, and there was nothing much else to do, except finally face the awkwardness...

Ring. Ring. "Hello?"

"Uh. Hey Karen. Listen, I-"

"Dive, I am SO so so so sorry! Cornelius is brilliant but sometimes he does or says things without thinking about it! I told him it wasn't appropriate and he's very sorry too! And, of course, we don't have to have hot dogs like that anymore - In fact, we don't need to have hot dogs with our chili at all, they're really not the healthiest choice, in fact, so it wouldn't-"

"Karen." He scoffed, shaking his head next to the phone. "Chill, girl. Cool your jets. Everything's fine with me as long as it's fine with you."

"We-We didn't embarrass you?" She pressed, concerned.

"I'll live." He replied, bemused. "And you? Not scarred for life?"

She started to snort into a small laugh, relief washing over her. "Oh! No, no, uh-I'll just file that away in the 'Good to know' part of my brain! Ahem..." She coughed a bit, as if to clear away the awkward air lingering between them. "S-So! Spaghetti and fried egg sandwich?"

"...Say what?"

"Oh, erm... We had spaghetti last night for dinner. And we always use up our leftover spaghetti in a sandwich with garlic bread, and a fried egg. It's an invention of my own..." She explained sheepishly. Then, after a sudden gasp, she added hesitantly, "Um, unless you don't care for eggs?"

"Kare-Bear, you're in luck - I happen to be the only member of my team that eats pretty much anything most humans might and isn't generally picky. Except anything related to duck, of course. So like, no duck and no duck-related stuff like truffle fries or whatever? And we're golden!" Dive grinned over the line. "So yeah, that spaghetti and chicken-eggy sandwich sounds totally good to me! I'll be there!"

He arrived exactly four minutes earlier than he said he would, but Karen still rushed to open the door for him, and greeted him with a smile, albeit one accompanied by red cheeks. "Hey Dive!" She said, as if she'd said it a thousand times before, instead of just a few. "Just in time! Oh, and look at the new set of chairs I got for the table! They're much comfier! We're so excited to be taking them to the new apartment next month..." She beamed gratefully, apparently having had no trouble cashing the check he'd sent, after he'd informed the bank himself, of course. It wasn't the first time he or another member of his team had donated rather large amounts, not just to charities but also random humans, so it didn't raise any odd alarms, at least not yet.

"Let's see~" He replied, strolling over and plopping into the nearest chair. Then he wiggled in, and announced rather shamelessly, "My butt approves!"

Thankfully though, it brought out a genuine round of giggles from his crowd.

His sandwich was promptly thereafter served, and as he already expected, it was ah-may-zing. The garlic bread slices had parmesan cheese toasted to golden perfection on top, and the egg was fried just right - Not over or under-cooked. The yolk broke as he bit into it and mixed with the spaghetti noodles, and he was in heaven.

"Okay, wow - Those five star chefs on Bourgeois Blvd just got showed up by a single mom. Seriously."

"Really?" Karen pursed her lips and modestly looked away. "Oh I can't believe it! But thank you..."

"I wish you could believe it, because it really is true!" He pressed, taking nearly half the sandwich with his next bite, as if to prove it. "This is the kind of genius recipe my mom would have come up with, I love it! You gotta let me know next time it's Leftover Spaghetti night, okay?"

So Nosedive coming over every leftover spaghetti night became a thing. And then Taco Tuesdays became a regular, and usually at least one Saturday or Sunday a week. A few months passed. Karen and Cornelius moved into the new two bedroom apartment, and Dive brought over a few more games that they could all play together. It was mostly Cornelius who he played against, Karen preferred to watch most of the time. But sometimes Nosedive could convince her to compete, and when she wasn't trying to let the others win, she was pretty good.

Karen was more interested in her cooking than the games anyways. She branched out a lot more, from candy to curry and everything in between, she'd try anything that sounded good or was requested by the Boss Man.

Well. Boss Duck?

Still though, he was always in the mood to come back for a Spaghetti-Eggy sandwich, and since spaghetti was one of Karen and Cornelius's favorite foods, it was pretty regular. And since Lord Lizardbutt was still playing like a mouse, Nosedive had no problem hanging out with them as often as he could, before the inevitable storm that followed the calm eventually came.

On one such Spaghetti Sandwich night, Cornelius looked up towards his mother, after leaving only the crust on his plate. This was usually the part where he would thank her for the meal and ask to go play his games, but she expected he'd stay, with their current company. She was right, and he did comment halfheartedly about his latest perfect test results, as usual, but after a while, he got quiet again, as if pondering whether to voice his real thoughts.

Dive noticed it first, and brought it up, assuming the boy had a question about him. "Hey there buddy - Got something on your mind?"

The boy sighed softly, and then, after just a second's hesitation, looked over to his mother. "Hey, mom...? Remember what you said a while back, about your parents? I was just wondering... Is there anything more you could tell me about them? It's just, you never ever talk about your past... It just occurred to me recently, but I think that's the first thing you've ever said about them at all... And I know you said you don't want to talk about my father, but, I didn't just come from nowhere, anymore than you did..."

She became silent as he questioned her, staring intensely at him. Her mind was full of unspoken memories. Many of which she had no intention of speaking of. But so many more she wished she could... "We're not speaking about your father tonight." She stated surely, then glanced up at Nosedive, seemingly for permission. "As for my family, well...?"

Nosedive interrupted her, knowing better than the child what the extent of his mother's discomfort could possibly be, and wanting to spare her whatever he could. "I can tell this is a heavy subject, Karen. I'd understand if you don't want to say any of it around me, but, I'd be willing to listen if you did. If it helps to get the devil off your back for a little while, I wouldn't judge..."

After a few seconds of silent immobilization, she finally nodded, once. "It's just..." She sighed deeply. "It's a matter of... How -much-, I could say... As I mentioned, my parents were very, very secretive... There are... Certain things, that my parents would literally kill me for, if I ever revealed them to anyone outside of their little circle..."

Nosedive and Cornelius both blinked openly with shock. "Sheesh! What, were they in some kind of cult?" Dive asked, while the boy's mouth hung open, naively unable to understand how anyone could want to kill their own child.

Karen seemed to be weighing her words very carefully in her mind before allowing her mouth to speak. "...C-Close enough..." She finally answered vaguely, struggling to piece together what she felt comfortable enough to reveal. "They... Look, they were... Very dark people. They were embarrassed and ashamed of me, so they hid me away in the... Basement. Most of the time. I also... Accidentally dismissed most of our servants, as a child, so my father put me to work after they left. That's why my skills are mostly domestic. But they eventually kicked me out, as soon as they were able to. My father outright told me he wished he could kill me. He wanted to believe I wasn't his, but... I look just like him. There was no way he could truly deny I was his, and mother was very, very adamant about that..."

She seemed to take a little begrudged pride at confiding that. But then she frowned again as she went on, "I had a younger brother that they were much more proud of... So, I was disposable in their eyes... And when I got older, they decided to start letting very evil people use their home for horrible and wicked things. They got rid of me, so those evil people wouldn't discover me and judge them because of me... I was scared, but I've never not been scared in my life. I was actually really glad to get away from that house. That house... I saw ghosts in it, as a child. Screaming ghosts... People were tortured and murdered in it. Lots of people, over a long, long time. And they were about to start doing it again..."

She seemed to have gotten lost for a minute, but then quickly recalled herself back to reality as she noticed the wide-open eyes of the two boys, and she quickly let out a breath and took another. "So of course I jumped at the chance to get away from all that... My parents told me to go to America. They wanted a whole ocean in between us. I obeyed them, and I vowed to myself to get as far away from them as I could. I set my sights on getting to the other side of the country. California. So, now here I am, and here in my pretty, colorful new world, I'd like to stay!"

That last part she stated in a bit too much of a huff, so she softened her voice, and added, "...Alright, son? Do you see now why I didn't want to tell you when you were any younger? You would have had nightmares!" She fretted, worrying still if he'd have them now.

Cornelius was hard to deny it, and Dive wasn't sure he wouldn't, either. Since the boy was at a loss for words though, Nosedive at least managed to quip, "Man... If that's all the stuff you CAN say, the rest must be something else! There's just one thing I don't get though? Why were they so ashamed of you? You're beautiful! I mean," He quickly coughed to the side, realizing how that sounded. "There's nothing, you know, wrong with you? You're not deformed or nothing...?"

She looked down. "I was in their eyes... And unfortunately, that's the part I just can't talk about. Just... Suffice to say, the biggest difference between me and my parents were how we thought. How our minds differed. Every other shortcoming they complained of, they were wrong about. Because you're right! There was nothing wrong with me!" For some reason though, she still seemed to be holding back at the end there. As if there was something else she still wished she had, that she did not possess...

Nosedive nodded downwards, hands in his lap. "I... I think I understand, for the most part. And I respect what you don't want to reveal. Just... Wow, though. The basement? Really?"

She paused for a few seconds there. "Erm... Actually, I think they might have been closer to... Dungeons? The house was very, very big... There were certain places I was never to wander to, because you could get lost in there..."

Suddenly her contentedness towards her cramped and colorful space made a lot more sense. Still, what a way to go in life. How far she had traveled, and after such a start to the world, all by herself... "You... You know what?" He finally managed to inquire.

She looked up again, "What?"

He breathed out, and reached over to lay a hand on her shoulder. "I think, in your own way, you're every bit as brave as me, my bro or my dad..."

She reached up and laid her own hand over his, feeling her fingertips over the back of his soft hand. "You're too kind, Nosedive..."

He shook his head. "No. You really do deserve it... I just...?" He looked over at her, and caught her eyes in his own gaze. "I wish I could bring those people to justice, and make sure they didn't hurt anyone else! There's nothing you could tell me, that could help me direct the authorities-?"

She'd started shaking her head no a few seconds ago, and she interrupted him cleanly there. "Telling you any more could lead them to us. It would put our lives in danger. I wish I could stop them too, but... Please. There's nothing I can do to stop them. I just want to keep far away..."

He wanted to still pursue it, but the pain and fear in her eyes kept him at an appropriate distance, and he took his hand back. "I understand. Of course I wouldn't do anything to endanger you guys. I just hope someone manages to stop them..."

At that, she slowly managed to smirk. "Oh... I overheard my father complaining many times of his... Rivals. I've been rooting for them in secret my whole life. I'd like to believe they can vanquish the darkness among their own..."

"Their own -what-?" Cornelius suddenly demanded, for the first time in her explanation.

"...That is enough, Cornelius. I have told you all I am going to say." She stated very surely, and made it plain by her tone that she would not be swayed. For good measure, she added, "I've told you all I can..."

He sighed deeply, then nodded, "Okay, I understand..." But no less than two seconds later, and he pressed again. "So did you meet my dad on the trip to California?"

"Cornelius, I said-" She started.

But the boy's curiosity could not be contained. He urged on, "Mom, I don't care if it was just some "whirlwind romance" or whatever! I'm not gonna try and find the guy, I just wanna know his first name, what he looked like-"

She seemed torn between not wanting to say, and needing to tell her son something. She finally allowed, "I... I imagine he looked like you, alright-"

But that just confused the child. "Imagine? You imagine? What the heck does that even mean? Don't you know what he looked like?"

Nosedive was beginning to feel he ought to step in at that point, but before he could, Karen's rare temper flared in her own defense, and her normally kind and caring eyes were so full of sorrow and fury, it was scary. "NO! Alright?! I don't know his name! I have NO idea what he looked like! I don't know anything about him except that I HATE him! OKAY?!" After that, she stormed out of the room on the spot, and locked herself in the bathroom.

Both boys stood there in a silent stupor for several seconds. Then, at the same time, both of them got up from the table. But Nosedive motioned for the younger male to stop. "Hey... Listen Cornelius. I know you deserve some answers, but... She's scared. This is obviously really painful for her. I'll try to talk to her... If she just can't say some stuff, we're just gonna have to respect it though, okay?"

There was clearly several things the boy didn't quite yet get. But he was a really smart kid, so... It wasn't going to be long before he pieced stuff together for himself.

He'd have to handle it himself for now though. Karen's soft and sparse sobs from the nearby washroom indicated she needed more immediate help.

Nosedive slowly made his way down the hall to the bathroom, as quiet as he could be until he got to the door. There he gave it just two soft knocks, and murmured, "Karen...?" He let out a nervous breath, and then started anew. "Is it okay if I come in? Or, would you prefer if I-"

He stopped as she suddenly opened the door, just a crack. "...Is Cornelius there?"

"No. Just me." He swore.

So she stepped aside and let him come in, and then quickly closed the door behind them. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed, raggedly, as another tear slipped from her eye. "...I said too much. I told him... Too much..."

Nosedive shook his head. "I know he's young and you want to protect him... But he needed to know. And I think... You needed someone to know too? Sorry if it's not my place to say, and I'll shut up if you want me to, but... I'll listen, if you want me to, too..."

A second passed. Then she nodded, took in another shaking breath, and let it out. She repeated the process a few more times before she was able to speak.

"They... They wore m-masks..."

Nosedive suddenly felt as if his blood had turned cold as ice.

She seemed to be avoiding as much detail as possible, all while a world of it was flashing before her eyes. "M-My parents... They gave me a purse with unmarked pieces of gold to live off of when they kicked me out of the house... I tried to pay my way across the country with rides from people, whom I each gave a piece of gold for the help. I had no idea what it was really worth. It worked alright for a while. Thankfully there are many good and helpful and honest people out there too, but..."

But...

She struggled again to keep her breathing level. "...When I was passing through Texas... I was walking along the road, looking for another ride, and... A van pulled up. Two men in horrible, ugly monster-masks jumped out, and pulled me in... They put me through hell. For days. And they robbed me of the last of my parent's gold. But... At least I didn't die... And... I got as far as Vegas... There I healed up in a women's shelter for a few months... When I finally found out I was pregnant, I still didn't know what was happening... A kindly old couple took pity on me in my state and took me the rest of the way to Anaheim, where they were traveling... To attend one of your hockey games..." She sniffled and then rubbed her nose a bit. "That nice lady gave me a lot of the recipe cards I use, too... And she let me borrow a book, called 'The Swiss Family Robinson'... Her name was Karen, and she loved Roses. Had an entire garden full of them at home. That's where I got my new name from..."

He wasn't sure what to do, or say. But he felt very strongly as if he should do -something-. "...You've... Been through so much..." He finally stated, his hands fidgeting with each other. He knew what he -wanted- to do, but he wasn't sure if it was appropriate, or welcome. "You're so much stronger than I thought..."

She started to rub her arms, as if she felt cold. "I'm not strong at all..."

He reached out and clasped her shoulders loosely, pulling her to look up at him. "Yes you are. You traveled all that way by yourself. You survived what would have killed many other people. And then, after all that happened... You found it in the goodness of your heart to keep Cornelius... I really think that's amazing."

She'd looked up at him shyly while he spoke, but when he mentioned Cornelius, she looked down again. "I... No... I'm no saint..." She admitted, full of guilt. "There was... A time, when I thought about giving him away..."

Nosedive wasn't the least bit surprised that she'd felt or thought that way at the time. He was a bit surprised that she had admitted it, but still, he tried not to let it show. Instead, he indulged in his curiosity, and asked what he was sure Cornelius would have. "So... Why didn't you?"

She took a long, slow breath. "...It was cold. And it was raining, that night... I carried him all the way up to the steps of the orphanage..."

In her eyes, Nosedive could see that she was there, right there, in this moment.

"I... Was thinking so many things. The entire world was different and so much more terrifying. I only even fully realized I was pregnant and what that meant 2 months prior, when Mrs Karen explained it to me on the trip. I had no idea what to do. I couldn't even keep myself safe, how was I going to keep him safe too...?" She choked on another sob for a minute, and that was when Nosedive could bear no longer not to hook his arms around both of her shoulders, and bring her in just a bit closer. She immediately moved in the rest of the way next to his chest when he did so, which made his heart jump a few beats.

"But... It was cold, and, I wasn't sure if the blankets I wrapped him in were warm enough, and what if the person in charge at the orphanage didn't hear when I knocked and he was left all night in the cold? What if a bad person came along in the night and took him? He was fussing and reaching for me and I just... Couldn't. I didn't want him at the time, but I didn't want him hurt, either. And I suppose... I guess I felt, like if I gave him away, I'd be doing the same thing to him that my parents did to me... He looked more like me at the time. His hair was lighter and his eyes more gray than blue. He changed later, but... I guess I did too..."

Nosedive squeezed her. "Yup, Caring Karen alright... Perfect name for you."

She then wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her face against his chest. "I guess, in light of my awful origins, I should allow myself to feel at least a little pride in having a healthy amount of empathy..."

"Yes, you should!" Dive insisted, shaking her softly, just a little. "You're rad and all your talents and tastes make you a totally awesome and unique person, to me..." He added at the end, with a nervous scratch at his neck. "And, so many other people too... I know your son loves you just as monumentally much as you love him. And he's gonna make you proud with what you've given him..."

She sniffled, and nodded, and then looked up. "Thank you so much for listening to my sad sob story... "

He shook his head. "It's so much more than that..."

Slowly, she lifted her head up, and Nosedive took it as the signal to step away again. She smiled sweetly at him as he did so, and he felt like ever the gentleman.

Outside the door, Cornelius heard the whispering disperse and dissolve into the sound of awkward silence. That was when he took his cue and returned to the dining room, before Nosedive or Karen found out he had been just outside the door, listening.

There was a lot Cornelius didn't know what to make of yet. But Nosedive was right. Whatever else happened, he was gonna make his mama proud...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Cornelius wasn't paying quite as much attention in class lately... But since he was still getting A's with ease, none of the teachers noticed it or reported it to his mother.

And after a couple more months passed, even Nosedive was too distracted to notice how much less he talked about school and new inventions right away, when Tanya and Wildwing's egg finally hatched. And to their tremendous joy, it turned out to be twins. A blond boy and a white-haired girl were brought into the world and named after his paternal grandfather, Steelfeather, and her maternal grandmother, Sonya, respectively. Blessings only continued to abound too, as Duke and Mallory announced that they would soon be hatching a little one as well.

Grin, normally silent and zen, broke into song that night, to welcome the new life, and everyone began to dance with each other. Nosedive had to break away for just a moment, as he remembered just in the nick of time that he had asked Karen for her special 'Kokonut Curry' that night. But it was more important to be with his family now. She understood completely, and congratulated him wholeheartedly.

"See ya round, Uncle Dive!" Warmth filled his heart hearing her say that. He couldn't wait to hear his new niece and nephew saying it too.

When he returned, Wildwing was busy holding his boy, mask off, so that the youngster could see his Papa's true face. The hatchling was still too young to do much of anything, but he grabbed up at his father's beak, and quacked and cooed.

"Hey little buddy!" Nosedive greeted him as he sat back down next to his brother, looking over his shoulder at the babe in his arms. "Your Papa's got giving you no worms, is he?"

"Very funny." Wildwing rolled his eyes. Then he looked back over at his bro, brow raised. "Where the heck did you go anyways?"

"Oh, uh..." Nosedive shrugged, and despite his nervousness, told him the truth. "Just had to call and cancel my plans with my new friends..."

"Those new ones you've been hanging out with just about every other day?" Wildwing clarified.

Nosedive instinctively backed away an inch or two. "Well, yeah... I mean it's not EVERY every other day, but..."

Wildwing held his son a little closer to his chest. "Dive I'm not trying to be a jerk. You know I'm just worried..."

Nosedive gave him a knowing grin. "I know. But you've got someone else to worry about now!"

"I can worry about more than one person." Wildwing defended himself, but then added reasonably. "And... So can you. You haven't tried to hide anything about these new friends of yours, and I have observed you guys at a safe and polite distance a few times..." He admitted.

Nosedive rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. And I already expected you to stalk and spy on me, in the nicest way possible. Go ahead - What's your findings, o captain, my captain?"

Wing sighed abrasively and steeled a look right back at him. "You know why I have to do it, Dive. You're too important to us... And so, I just wanted you to know... I wanted to tell you, that I'm okay with you having your human friends, I know you don't just befriend anyone, I know you're very careful and selective about it, and that... Well, I just get it, okay? You're a social guy and you can't revolve your whole life around just five people-Well, seven." He smiled, and then corrected himself again. "Soon to be eight! And well, I know you put us first, I don't worry about that, but... We ARE gonna get home someday, Dive. I just know we are. And when we do, well... I just don't want you to hurt too bad over any special human friends we'll have to leave behind..."

Nosedive looked away from him. He didn't admit his bitterness about Wildwing not fully understanding what he felt the loss of. Didn't want to 'rain on his parade'. But he knew what his brother was thinking, and it frustrated him to be judged on it. Especially when it wasn't even LIKE that. Or so he continued to insist to himself... "Bro, TRUST me, will ya? If we ever find a way to get home, I'm GOING home. Ain't no doubt about that. And sure, I'd miss lots of stuff and friends. But you don't have to worry about where my loyalties lie."

"And I don't." Wildwing quickly assured him. "Because... I know, that if anything were to ever happen to me, you'd be there for them..." He added, looking down at his son, even though Nosedive knew he meant the whole team.

"Of course." Nosedive returned meaningfully, but even more forcefully, he concluded, "But we are all gonna do our best to make sure that nothing bad happens to each other. I just really wanna help my other friends too, yanno? They're good people. I know I'm doing the right thing, sticking around them. That kid Cornelius - He's going places. He's going to advance his world. I was actually thinking of introducing him to Buzz when he gets a bit older, could be a job there for a smart kid like him..."

"Hmm, there's an idea..." Wing nodded pensively. "So... What about the woman?"

Nosedive crossed his arms. "Why do you have to ask it like that... Look Wing. It's the same as her son. She has potential, and I want to help her tap into it. She's had a really, really crummy hand dealt to her early on. Her parents were the worst kinds of people. But she's a really good person in spite of it, so I think she deserves a chance to do the better things I know she can..."

Wildwing nodded, and scooted over closer to his brother. "I believe you, Dive. It's just, you DO have a track record of being more than a little impulsive. I just needed to ask to make sure, okay?"

Nosedive let his brother sling an arm around his shoulders, and nodded back. "Yeah, I get it..."

He was pretty sure he did, anyways...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Extra helpful with the babysitting duty, and all full of maternal instinct for his brother's new babies, Dive didn't make a trip to see Karen again for a while, almost two weeks later. But he eventually began to miss his human family again, so he called her up, requesting fresh-baked cookies.

When he arrived at their home, he hadn't even reached the door yet when Cornelius met him outside, and, covering his mouth to silence a fit of laughter, he motioned for him to follow him inside.

Metal music was being played in the kitchen, which Nosedive had been pleasantly surprised to learn a short time before was Karen's favorite, just as it was one of his. It seemed so out of place with her bright, flowery personality, but apparently she found it to be 'therapeutic' and 'stress-relieving'. Well, she was apparently relieving some kind of stress now...

He looked over at Cornelius questioningly, and, still stifling giggles, the boy simply insisted he peek in. The only explanation he would give was, "She's baking those cookies, alright!"

Overwhelmed by curiosity, Nosedive opened the door and peeked in. The sight that greeted him was Karen, or more specifically, her butt, as she was bent over in front of the oven, taking the cookies out and shaking her head and bottom with the heavy metal song that was playing.

Cornelius burst into laughter, and Dive started to sputter, although he tried not to. Karen nearly dropped her cookies as she heard it, but quickly tossed them up on the counter instead. "Cornelius-!" She exclaimed, her face beet red.

Dive clamped his bill with both hands, failing to restrain the first few cackling quacks. He quickly straightened up, however, when he saw Karen's cherry tomato-red face, all puffy and embarrassed. "Aww, I didn't mean to tease ya Kare-Bear, honest! It's just neat to know you can dance!"

"I cannot dance and you know it!" She bristled back at him, but she quickly reigned in her temper, and put her patience back in charge. "Unless you count shaking your butt a kind of dance..."

"PFT, what?! That's the best kind of dance!" Nosedive intervened. "Shaking your tail-feathers is as classy to my people as the waltz or the tango!"

The pursed pout on her face quickly relaxed into a small smile once more. "...Really?"

"I swear it! Trust me, I wouldn't lie about my culture..."

A sudden seriousness passed over his features as he said that. He was remembering what Wildwing had said to him, and it caused a sharp pang in his chest that he really couldn't understand... He was still with his human friends. So why did he feel like he already missed them so much...?

Karen noticed his somberness, and, thinking fast, she reached for a cookie and held it up to his bill. It was a golden-brown disc of peanut butter, with an imprint in the middle, waiting for either a dollop of jam, or a chocolate kiss to be added in the groove. Snatching it out of her hand, she began to giggle, which made him smile almost as much as her cookies did. But he couldn't shake the feeling, deep down. As if he were hiding a big secret, even though he'd been as forthcoming with everyone as he could be. So what was it, then...?

He took another cookie. And then he stared at it, for a moment. "...I'd really miss these, if I ever found a way back home..."

He looked up again, eyes locking with Karen for a few seconds, then to Cornelius, and back to her. "I guess... I just wanted to say to you guys, because... My brother, he was talking to me about going home the other day... And while I and most of the others of course hope it's a matter of when, not if... We've come to accept it might be the latter. My bro, though - He says he's sure we'll make it someday... But the thing is, the Saurian technology and magic that got us here, we can't fully access it. And even though Dragaunus has barely made more than a peep lately, we know he's up to something. So, I really hope I can give you guys a proper goodbye if I ever knew in advance we were gonna go, but... There's just a good a chance, that someday I, we, might just... Well, disappear..."

That word lingered in the air between them for a while. Then Nosedive abruptly added, "I'd try my hardest to say goodbye, I swear! But if I don't manage, well, I just wanted you to know - Cornelius, I already set up a college fund for you. You can go anywhere you want and party it up too if you want. So Karen, don't worry so much about setting aside yourself. I want you to start treating yourself!"

"But-" She started, just as he knew she would.

So he promptly cut her off and firmly insisted, "TREAT. YO. SELF."

He was pretty authoritative about that, so Karen decided to take it as an order from her boss, and nodded, pinching a bashful and grateful smile. "Oh - Alright! Yes sir!" She giggled, but then quickly got serious again herself, and approached him as she added, "But... I want you to know something too..."

He blinked several times in surprise as she stopped just inches before him. "I understand completely, that you would do almost anything to get home again. Even if I'm sure I would never return to where I came from, I swear I do understand it... And even though I would miss you, and all your wonderful stories about your lovely world and your fascinating teammates and your adventures, very, very much if you were to go... I'd be immensely sad, of course. But I would be so, so happy for you, too..."

His heart was warm and toasty from her words, and the sincerest of gazes that she was giving him. But then it skipped a beat, as she suddenly reached up and put her hands on both of his shoulders, and added, "I want you to know this too though... As long as you're here... You can call here, home..."

She subconsciously took back one hand for a second as she said that, and when she said 'here' and 'home', she made a fist, just above her heart. Then she returned the hand to his shoulder, and, pausing just a second to smile and blush bashfully, she suddenly slipped her hands around his shoulders, and closed all of the distance between them with a full and completely accepting embrace. Then, as an afterthought and nothing more, she rubbed her cheek and neck against his, just once.

Nosedive stiffened up noticeably when she did so, and because she interpreted it as slight discomfort, she squeezed him for just a couple seconds more before she started to let go. It was only at that point that Nosedive was finally starting to get over his initial surprise, and was about to return the hug, so as not to look weird and awkward. So when Karen pulled away and he put his arms up, he accidentally ended up catching her by the waist, just before they were about to part.

Karen's blush increased in color, and Dive knew, for certain, that if she fully realized what she'd just done, she'd be looking like a tomato. The thing was, since Ducks had no lips, kisses were not a thing for them. Regular hugs were neutral, but rubbing necks and cheeks, on the other hand, was the equivalent of kissing in their culture.

Like, kissing with tongue...

He wasn't about to tell her, though. She might actually explode from embarrassment. And, well...

He kind of really wished she'd do it again...

But, he wasn't going to insist upon it either, of course.

Karen Rose was looking pretty 'rosy' after her last course of action, but Golden Boy Cornelius was uncharacteristically pale and tight-lipped. He suddenly spoke up again as they parted, masking his inner unease just well enough as he inquired, "Hey, Dive, you know my birthday is coming up right? You don't need to get me anything, but I was just wondering - Do you think you could come over the day before? I've been working on this new invention for a few months, and it should be ready to test out by then..."

Feeling warmer than usual under his feathers, Nosedive quickly shook the distracting thoughts from his mind, and redirected his attention back onto the boy. "Oh - Yeah, definitely bro! Assuming no reptilian alien overlords decide to act up at the last second, I'll totally be there!"

"He's been locking himself up in his room every day after dinner to work on that thing!" Karen mentioned. "Won't let me see it til it's finished - But I'm sure it's got to be something really impressive!"

"Hopefully..." Her son grumbled. "There's been a lot of failures so far... But it's a pretty complicated application. I just hope it works when it's supposed to..."

His mother smiled, and bent down to place a kiss on his forehead. "If you put that big brain of yours to it, I'm sure you can work it out~"

"Yeah buddy!" Nosedive agreed.

The child smiled too, though only he could feel the way his lips were insisting on tugging down at the corners. "Thanks guys... I think that, if this invention works... It could solve a lot of problems for a lot of people..." He added hesitantly. "Well... I hope so, anyways..."

His mother was going to inquire, but before she could worry too much about how faraway the boy behind those blue eyes was, he looked up again, and brightened his tone and face, just for her. "I'm gonna go work on it now, okay?"

"Oh..." Karen slowly nodded. "Alright son, go ahead..."

So he did. And he didn't even remember to take a cookie with him...

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The forces of evil still hadn't show horn nor tail by the time Cornelius's special day started rolling up, so Nosedive left with confidence on the eve of his birthday, as requested - Although he still brought a cool new RC toy car with him, even though both the boy and his mother had insisted he not bother buying anything. They already knew he wasn't going to listen to them about that, anyways.

In light of the latter facts, though, Nosedive wasn't offended when Cornelius only briefly fawned over and thanked him for the toy, before rushing to get everything set up to show off his invention. The props were few, but intriguing enough. He had placed a circular rug in the middle of the floor in the living room, and just beyond it, on the coffee table, he placed a tiny vase with a single white rose bud in it, barely peeking out of the calyx.

"Alright mom, Dive? Can you two both stand in the middle of the rug for me?"

They both followed his instructions, and stepped inside the circle, shoulder to shoulder, facing the flower. Then he stepped in himself, right between them, and pulled out a somewhat long pen-looking thing. Like a drummer's stick, only very slightly thicker, made of metal. And at the end, an antenna like piece, which could be pulled out. The boy then linked arms first with his mother, and then with Nosedive, and then, holding the gadget between them, he said, "Okay... Here goes nothing."

He pulled up the tab at the top just short of an inch, and something BIG but very very subtle happened, although it was a little too mind-boggling to explain right away in the daze after. It was as if they had been displaced. As if reality had shifted but in a split instant , so that it almost might have been missed if they hadn't been anticipating -something-. And in that instant, the budding calyx in front of them had bloomed halfway into a rose.

"Whoa...!" Dive mentioned as he noticed it. "The flower!"

"Cornelius..." Karen whispered, her body and her very soul suddenly feeling very heavy.

"Wait, just one more thing!" The little one insisted. "Since it's my birthday now, we'll pull this second one, and that'll take us back one year. To the day we met. Hold on-!"

He did it before Karen could intervene, and the next jolt that followed was likewise a hundred times more jarring than the first. Reality suddenly seemed like a mirrored bubble around them, and the world outside was a fast-moving blur of unrecognizable shapes and colors. Finally, just when they thought they might start to get sick, the motion abruptly stopped, dropping them off in the alley beside Dive's comic shop.

Shouting could immediately be heard - The shouting of their old "friend", the gross guy from their first encounter who had harassed Karen, who was currently being escorted off the property by the police, again. For a brief moment after, the Nosedive from one year ago could be seen briefly talking with the officer, and waving politely to them before they left. Then he went back inside himself, and the three time travelers were then left to process what it was they had just seen and experienced.

Cornelius looked back to his mother, face beaming, expecting some kind of praise. Nosedive might have provided it himself, had he not noticed how extraordinarily pale and quiet Karen had become. And since Karen was normally pretty pale and quiet anyways, that was saying something. She looked like she had just had a scorpion shoved down her throat.

"Mom...?" Cornelius prompted her, looking a little confused at his mother's super-serious expression.

It took her a full five seconds before she could manage to make her lips move. "...How long before it takes us back to the present."

Her boy blinked. "Well, I can take us back anytime, but if I don't, we have one hour before we're taken back involuntarily. I mean, this is just a prototype though! We're dealing with time travel here, this is really complicated stuff - Creating a machine that could take us back or forward any amount of time would be much, much more difficult, especially since this science isn't-"

"This isn't science..."

"...W-What?" Cornelius mouthed back at her after a pregnant pause.

She began to pinch back a rueful smile. "...A wand... You actually tried to make a wand..."

Cornelius was starting to get annoyed with all her cryptic words, so finally he demanded of her, "Mom, what the heck are you TALKING about?"

At that she let the smile fall with a sigh, and looked back at him with a much more stern expression again. She was trying to be patient and not scare the boy, but she was clearly terrified herself. "How is this science, Cornelius? What was your scientific process? Is there actually any logical reason this experiment should have worked, or did you just try putting some random things in that wand there and hoped really hard that it would work until it did?"

The boy muttered defensively under his breath. "It's not a wand, it's a time displacement antenna-"

"It's a WAND, Cornelius." Karen corrected him resolutely, even though her entire frame had deflated with defeat. "And this... This is NOT science. It's magic..." She finally admitted, just as much to herself as to him.

They could see in Cornelius' eyes that he wanted to deny her claim, but another part of him, the logical side of him, knew he couldn't. She was exactly right on every account, even if it sounded impossible - The fact that his strange experiment had worked was proof that it wasn't. "Okay, but..." He continued, "Science or not, we can still use it for how it was intended..."

Karen suddenly felt rather cold. "...What do you mean?"

Cornelius looked down at his feet. "...If we pull the last notch on the antenna, it will take us back almost ten years. Before I was born. Before I was... Conceived." Dread was already pooling into Karen's stomach, and now it dropped like a stone. "I just thought... That it wasn't right, that you didn't get to choose me. I thought you should get that chance... And then, after that, maybe Nosedive could use it again, and go back far enough to stop Dragaunus from sending his team to Earth...?"

"Oh, buddy..." Nosedive finally mumbled, shaking his head. He wanted to go home desperately, but never at the cost of another's life. Especially the life of a friend.

Karen was shaking her head too. "Cornelius... Son." She addressed him, putting one hand on his shoulder, and using the other to lift his chin up to look at her. "I know you're too damn smart to do something this stupid. This is far, far too powerful a force to be toying with like this. And, you're wrong... I did get to choose you. I made my choice, and my only regret was not being able to give you the life you deserved on my own... So, don't you ever doubt me again, sweetheart. I wouldn't give you up for all the gold in the world..."

She sighed, and then stood up again. "Now... Take us back home to our own time."

Tears of relief and sadness and joy were rolling down the boy's eyes as he nodded, and pushed the antenna back into the wand. Space and time once again jolted and jarred around them, and in seconds, they were back in their old living room.

As soon as they made it, Karen reached down and took the wand from Cornelius. With no hesitation at all, she brought it down on her knee, breaking it in half.

"Mom?" Cornelius inquired, surprised. She had never broken one of his inventions before.

"It can't fall into the wrong hands." She explained, swiftly and surely. "And I hate to say it, but... The wrong hands are going to be here soon. They track magic. Nosedive, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to go now. I don't want you to get hurt when they-"

It was just as those last words were leaving her mouth, when a sharp knock sounded off at the door. Karen looked back at the frame in shock, then turned back to Nosedive, and began to shove him towards the nearest closet. There she pushed him inside, and in a panicked rush, she whispered to him, "Oh god, they're already here - Quick, Dive, you have to hide! Please, hide and don't come out until it's over! No matter what you might hear..."

He wordlessly obeyed her as she closed the closet door on him, listening in silence as Karen crossed the room, and opened the front door.

Several seconds passed where you could hear a pin drop. Then, voice thick and restrained, Karen finally spoke up. "Hello... Mother."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO


	3. Chapter 3

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Narcissa smiled.

Karen could probably count the number of times her mother had ever smiled at her on one hand. So she knew right away, this wasn't good...

"My dear Madonna..." The elder witch addressed her long-gone daughter. "You're looking... Well." She seemed to have to struggle just to manage such a simple compliment, and from how she was glancing around at her apartment, her lips twitching to keep the smile up, it was clear she wouldn't be able to even attempt to say anything nice about her abode.

But of course. The entire apartment complex wasn't even half as big as Malfoy Manor, after all. Karen's home probably felt like a cell to her.

"And you, mother." Karen returned neutrally, standing behind her son and placing her hands protectively on his shoulders. "I'm... Glad, to see you survived that terrible war..."

'Glad' wasn't exactly the word she'd use if her mother wasn't standing right in front of her. Not that she wanted her to die, but then, if she had, this massively awkward and inconvenient little meeting wouldn't be taking place...

"Indeed." Narcissa returned, in a tone that suggested she knew her real thoughts about the matter. "And you - I see you've settled into your muggle lifestyle here. Or do they call your kind 'No Maj' here in the States?"

"Mother." Karen abruptly sighed, her frown verging on a glare. "Why don't you just get to why you're really here? I know you wouldn't have come if I didn't suddenly have something you wanted..." She added, clutching her son's shoulders a little tighter.

There was barely a pause before Narcissa smoothly responded, "Very well. But aren't you going to at least going to introduce me to my grandson first?"

There was a longer, more reluctant pause from Karen. "...His name is Cornelius. Cornelius, this is my mother, Narcissa."

Shy and silent so far, her son finally spoke up as the attention was turned upon him. "M-Mom...? How come she called you 'Madonna'...?"

Narcissa crossed her arms, offended. "He doesn't even know your real name? I know I asked you to keep the family name a secret, but your first? The name I gave you as a baby...?"

No longer able to keep the glare off her face, Karen steeled a look back at the older woman and replied, "Seeing as how you burned my middle name off the family tree when you found out I had no magic, I thought you wouldn't mind if I changed it, too."

"Oh come now." Narcissa rolled her eyes. "My poor dear sister was imprisoned in Azkaban for her loyalty to the Dark Lord. Bellatrix would have slapped me senseless if she ever found out I dishonored her by letting a squib keep her name." She sighed softly after that. "But then, considering the fact that she was killed in the war, I suppose she's beyond minding it now, if you wanted to reclaim your old name."

"I'll pass." Karen replied immediately, without even a hint of hesitation.

Her mother's eye twitched with restrained anger. She would have slapped her for the impudence, had she still not gotten what she came for. "Alright, Madonna - That's quite enough of this cattiness. You may find it hard to believe but I'm not the same person I used to be. I'm not the same person you once knew. The war changed me. I won't hide the fact that we lost, but I don't even care about that anymore... I'm just glad we're alive. We barely made it out. Your brother Draco was almost burned to death..."

"...I'm glad to hear he wasn't." This comment, at least, was sincere. Even if her brother was one of the most awful little spoiled brats she'd ever known, even if she had terribly painful memories of him shoving her down stairs, jumping on her back, choking her and whipping her to make her carry him around on her back like a horse, she still wouldn't wish such a fate upon him, or any other child.

Narcissa nodded and swallowed at her thickened throat. "So you see, I feel very differently now than I did then... I still believe we had no choice but to do what we did. To survive. But from now on, my loyalty lies only with my family..."

Stepping forward, she reached out and softly caressed Karen's cheek. Her daughter let her do so, but she was tense, and made no move to accept the false affection. "Madonna, your son is something very, very special. I put a spell upon you before you left, hoping you would someday develop your powers. Better late than never, as they say. It's a shame you have yet to do so, but this boy..."

At that point, Narcissa took her hand back, and looked down at Cornelius. "You know - Time magic is one of the most complicated forms of magic that's known of. Most children your age start out experimenting with the simplest of magic. Levitation and the like. Most wizards ten times your age couldn't do what you've managed to..."

She looked back up at her daughter once more. "You may not be able to access it, but there must be SOME magic deep down in you, to have produced such a powerful young wizard, Madonna... And, many witches and wizards died in the war... I have quite a few friends who are in want of a wife, and cannot find one. They might be willing to overlook your squib status if they knew-"

Karen cut her off there. "As 'honored' as I am to be considered as worthy -breeding material-, if ONLY in such -desperate- circumstances, I'm not interested."

Narcissa's lips flattened out into a thin line. "...That's fine." She answered tensely. "But the fact remains: Your son is extraordinary, and you're not. He belongs with his own kind. With abilities like his, he could be as powerful as the Dark Lord himself one day. Or even more powerful than that. But not without training..."

At that point Karen pulled her son in securely next to her chest, seething as she answered. "And how would you train him? You said it yourself. Most wizards ten times his age couldn't do what he did. Oh, I'm sure there's at least one or two Death Eaters capable of teaching him how to use his powers left alive in your group - And they'll teach him to use it to go back in time and revive the Dark Lord! You might not want that yourself after what he did to you, but I know you would hand my son over to save your own if you had to, without even thinking about it!"

Her mother went very quiet. She looked very, very angry. But Karen still wasn't done yet. "You have some NERVE coming here, wanting to take my son, thinking you can MANIPULATE me into letting you take him, thinking you could TEMPT me into marrying a MURDERER, just because they're magical?!"

"An -inferior- SQUIB like you has no RIGHT to judge what a wizard does!" Narcissa finally exploded, her true colors showing, dark as the dead of night. "And with or without your permission, that boy IS coming with me! You are NOT capable of raising a magical child, and I will NOT let you keep him from his destiny! Now hand. Him. OVER."

"NEVER!" Karen bellowed back, pulling her son as close as she could. But it was all for naught - Narcissa had taken out her wand, and used a spell to drag the boy over to her. Karen tried to reach for him, but Narcissa immediately cast another spell on her, one that pinned her arms behind her back and locked her legs together.

She was about to cast a silencing spell upon her too, but before she could, Karen shouted out in utter desperation as she fell the floor, like dead weight, "NOSEDIVE, SAVE HIM-!"

Despite the "don't come out no matter what you hear" rule she had insisted upon earlier, Nosedive jumped out of the closet on the spot to come to her aid, his puck-blaster withdrawn and ready to shoot. As soon as she saw the movement, Narcissa pointed her wand at him too. But she was so utterly shocked by who and what she saw come out of that closet, she had to suck in a gasp before she could think of another spell to use, and in that time, Nosedive had shot a puck at her, which struck her on her wand hand.

The impact broke at least a few fingers and sent the wand flying out of her hand and onto the ground. Then Cornelius, ever a fast-thinker, rushed to retrieve it before she did. As soon as he had a hold of the wooden wand, he brought it down over his knee like he'd seen his mother do earlier, snapping it in half.

"NOOO-!" Narcissa screamed in pain and loss, and the spell on Karen was immediately broken along with the wand.

Slowly stretching out her limbs, Karen got up, with some help from Nosedive. Narcissa stared on in shock, unable to process what she was seeing or what had just happened at first. Cornelius quickly rejoined his mother's side, and glared at the old witch resolutely, "Lady, I am NEVER going with you."

Wordlessly, Karen went over to her purse, and pulled out a wad of money. Then she approached her mother, and handed it to her. "This will be more than enough for a plane ticket home." She offered generously, knowing that her mother wouldn't be able to get back with magic, and had only gold on her person to use as currency.

At first Narcissa stared at her, glaring, unwilling to accept the offer. So Karen, in a much more forceful tone, insisted, "Take it, mother - Or do you want to be mugged and RAPED for your gold, like I was?!"

The glare fell from her mother's face, into an expression of shock and fear. She quickly accepted the money after that, snatching it from her hand as if she briefly feared that hand would strike her.

There was a pause between them before Karen added with finality. "Have a good life, mother. Please don't come back..."

It was a mirror of the last words her mother and father had said to her before she sent her away, all those years ago, though with a much nicer tone than her parents had used then, of course. A fact that wasn't lost on the witch.

She stared at the younger woman for just a second more, but in that second, she managed to spear her with all her hatred and disappointment. "...Don't ever call me your 'mother' again. Don't you dare let another soul know you share blood with me." She finally seethed through her teeth. "You're no daughter of mine... You're a FREAK."

She glanced only a second at Nosedive as she said that, before poring back at Karen, motioning at her with the wad of cash. "And by the way? This ridiculous little sum of dirty muggle money is nothing compared to the sum of gold I gave you then, and I don't care how you lost it - I WILL collect the rest of what you still owe me, one way or another..."

Upon saying that, her eyes briefly flicked down to Cornelius. Then she swiftly backed out of the room, without turning her back until she was far enough out the door to run away.

Cornelius was the first to move, a moment later. Clutching the broken ends of his estranged grandmother's wand, he turned and meekly asked his mother, "Mom... Can I go to the kitchen and have some cake?"

Karen had bought him a much bigger and more ornate cake than last year, and it still sat untouched in the fridge. It did sound very tempting to replace her problems with cake, but at the same time, the encounter she'd just had left her feeling unwilling to eat.

So she replied, "Yes, go ahead son. Just... I'll wait until later to have a piece myself, okay?"

He thanked her and then walked off to the kitchen listlessly, closing the front door on his way there.

Now alone, Karen turned and threw her arms around Nosedive, nuzzling her cheek and forehead against the crook of his neck and shoulder several times as she moaned with a mixture of exhaustion and relief, "Oh god, thank you so much Nosedive... You saved him. You saved us. I swear you're my hero..."

This time, having had expected it at least a bit more, Nosedive managed not to stiffen up so much, and returned the embrace, if not the nuzzling. "You're my hero too, Kare-Bear. You we're so brave..." He replied, squeezing her around the midsection. Of course the sensation was still exciting, but he did his best to dull it down, because he knew she didn't mean it in any sort of romantic way. She simply needed the reassurance after the trauma she had just endured...

She shook her head against him, but it was hard to tell it apart from the other pleasant sensations. "No, I really mean it, Dive... I don't want to think about what could have happened if you weren't here to protect us..."

"Then don't think about it." He insisted. "But listen, I know you just moved here and seem to like it, but, after this - I think it would make the most sense to get you a proper home with a good security system on it, at the very least..."

She gripped him tighter. "You're an angel, Dive... And... Now you know what I really am..."

He quirked his head in confusion. "You are what you've always been - A wonderful friend. But yeah, it is interesting to know what I do now. That yer mom's not just a witch figuratively, but literally!"

That finally got her to crack a smile and laugh a little. "Yes..." But then she quickly sobered up, and worried, "But... There will be others, soon..." Finally she pulled away, leaving Nosedive's thumping heart to finally slow down. "And when they come... Oh Merlin, what am I gonna do! Mother-Narcissa, she was right. I'm just a squib, a muggle, a no-magic-so-tragic no-maj. How am I going to protect him...?"

"Because I'm going to help you." Nosedive replied surely. "You don't have to do this alone anymore, Kare..."

She looked up at him. Really looked at him. Then suddenly, she reached up on the tips of her toes, and placed a kiss on the corner of his bill and cheek. "I'm sorry if that's not alright and I'll never do it again if so but I just really didn't know how else to tell you how much you mean to me! For... Just, everything..."

He slowly came to nod. "It's okay... I mean, yanno - Not in public or some paparazzi might make a big deal of it... But, it's fine in private, like this... I mean-" He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "If you really want to again, because... Well, I feel like I should come clean about something now..." He lowered his voice then, to just above a whisper. "Um, well, you know when you rub your head on my cheek and neck when we hug...?"

She blushed, as if she already sensed what he was about to say. "Oh, um... Yes...?"

He cleared his throat to the side. "Uuuum, well... On my planet that gesture is kind of more or less seen as, kinda, uuuuuh... Romantic, in nature..." He finally concluded, in almost a squeak.

"O-Oh!" Yup, red as a radish. "I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable!"

He fidgeted further. "Well, no, it... Didn't, exactly, um... Do that..."

Karen blinked like an owl, then looked down. "Did it... Feel, good...?"

"K... Kinda, yeah..."

"...Well! That... It doesn't bother me, if it doesn't bother you!" She finally whispered in a rush.

"Oh... K-Kay... ... ..."

She was looking off towards the kitchen. He was looking the opposite direction, at the window to her balcony, where the light was shining in through her curtains, which she always kept closed when he visited. Already so used to being discrete...

"...If you could, would you please... Stay the night...?" She inquired suddenly, quick to explain, "Just tonight, just in case my mother tries to come back one more time before she leaves, or in case someone else comes in the night...?"

He nodded right away. "S-Sure..."

After Cornelius finished his cake, he came back, and him and Nosedive played video games by the tv for a good two hours, passing pop and a bag of nacho chips between them all the while. During that time, Karen baked an extra cheesy lasagna, and then they all had more cake after that.

Then Cornelius told them he was tired from all the food, and retired to his room to go to bed, after receiving a birthday kiss from his mother first, of course. It was nine PM. Her and Dive sat on the couch, the TV ignored. Neither of them were tired...

"...S-So-" They both started at first, which led to another awkward silence.

"You can, go ahead..." Nosedive mentioned a short moment later.

Karen nodded. "I, um... I just wanted you to know, it's not because of the money. At all. I'd be lying through my teeth to say I didn't want more than almost anything to show my gratitude for that, but that's not why I like hugging you. In fact, to be honest, I've never hugged anyone besides my mother and father, when I was very, very young, and my son... It's because you're just as special to me..." She quietly concluded.

Nosedive processed that quietly for a while, and then finally, he returned, "I know... I know you, Karen. I know your heart, and I believe you. Because I know you believe me too... That I didn't intend for us to get this close, that I never expected it... But I'm glad it happened. And I'd never ask for more than you're willing to give, but I want you to ask me anytime you need help with something."

She was smiling so big, and he felt so content. His heart skipped a sudden beat though, when she reached in and took one of his down and feather covered arms, and squeezed it as she laid her head down on his shoulder. And even though she seemed to be getting quite comfortable there, she felt the need to tell him further, "And... I'll do everything I can to help you too, Dive. Besides the fact that I owe you, it's because we're friends, and I... Well, I like you... I like that you enjoy eating my food so much, even though there's so many good cooks in the world... I like that we like the same music, and all the cool new stuff you've shown me. But more than anything, I love the way you treat my son..." She blushed and burrowed against his biceps. "That's why I love you..."

"...Thank you. I love you, too..." Nosedive whispered back, his heart feeling like a rising balloon. And that loneliness he had been feeling so starkly in his heart, for so many years... He had no reason to feel it anymore.

He leaned his head against hers. "...I promise I'll protect you both. Because you're as special to me as my own family too. And well... You guys are just plain special. Magic or not, your son is going to be an asset to your entire species. And that special kid came from you... Because you're magical in your own way, too."

"...Thank you..." Was all she could think to say anymore. She was getting drowsy now, on his warm, soft arm. She supposed she ought to get up to go to bed, but... It was so comfortable where she was...

And Nosedive didn't seem to want to bother moving from where he was, either.

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"Mom...?"

Karen blinked, having been shaken awake suddenly when it seemed like she just nodded off, still on Nosedive's arm, as she last remembered. Blushing, she straightened herself up, and mumbled, "Oh, Cornelius, uh - What time is it...?" She inquired drowsily, rubbing her sleep-crusted eyes. Nosedive had roused from his own sleep by her movement and was looking around in confusion, too.

"Two-forty-seven AM..." Her son answered bashfully.

"Well, why are you still up?" She continued with a sigh, then hesitated to guess, "You didn't... Have a nightmare, did you?"

He shook his head calmly. "No, it's just... I just finished another new invention, and I wanted to show you, right away..."

"What?" She scratched her neck, a little exasperated. "Another one? Cornelius, after what happened?"

"I know, I know!" He defended himself right away. "But I promise you, this one is really important..."

She sighed softly, which turned into a yawn as she straightened up. It didn't seem like the boy found anything wrong with the position he found the two of them in, so she didn't bring it up, either. "Alright babe - What does it do?"

He had been hiding the 'whatever it was' behind his back, but at her inquiry, he revealed it. To her surprise though, it was nothing more than one of his old water guns. A cheap little dollar store one at that. At her look of confusion, he proceeded to explain, "You were right, the other day, when you guessed that I just put random stuff in the antenna-Er, the wand, until it worked... I tried all kinds of scientific things at first. Then I tried less and less scientific things. Elements. Crystals. None of them worked, but then... One day, when I was walking home from school, I found the dead body of this weird creature in an alley. It was like a cat, but different too. And I just couldn't shake the feeling, that it was just what I needed... So, I took one of it's whiskers, and that's what made it finally work. But afterwards... I felt like I had done something bad. I should have just left the creature's body alone..."

He sighed sadly as he confessed that, but it seemed that there was more yet he needed to get off his chest. "Ever since I started that project, I... None of the science stuff that used to fascinate me, none of it interested me. I feel like I lost that part of myself when this magic started growing in me. I want it back. And now especially, since meeting one of the people this magic came from... I feel like this isn't me. This stuff came from somewhere dark, and... Mom, I don't want this. I really, really don't want this..."

Karen wasn't sure what to say at first. Of course she wanted to reassure her son, but how could she? Nosedive seemed to having the same inner battle, and he spoke up first, "Hey, hey - I understand if you're scared, buddy. But it's gonna be okay. We just gotta find someone that can help you learn to control this, someone on our side-"

"No." Cornelius cut him off, his mind made up. "I don't want to control it. I don't want people trying to control ME because of this. That's why... I buried the whisker, and I put the hair that was inside Narcissa's wand, inside this. And if I concentrate really, really hard... And if you'll help me too, mom... I can use this to transfer my magic, to you..."

Karen went stiff as a stone. "...What...?"

"I told you, I don't want this!" He insisted, much more forcefully this time. "I want to go back to being a normal kid who's good at science! I don't want to be a wizard! Please mom, I know you'd probably see this as a gift - And that's why I wanted to give it to you. So you can use it to protect me. But to me, this power... It's a curse. I don't want it. I know it's selfish to ask, but please... Please, -please- take this burden from me, mom..."

He sounded so scared towards the end, so pleading. There couldn't be any doubt as to how serious he was about this...

"Cornelius... Are you absolutely certain?" She had to ask him, just once more. "What if this decision can never be reversed?"

"Then I'll be relieved, knowing I put that power in the right hands." He answered right away, without needing to even think about the answer before giving it.

"Karen..." Nosedive added, putting a hand on her shoulder for support. "No matter what happens, I'll help you work through it."

She looked between then two of them, then she took a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay son... Go ahead."

He nodded too, not hesitating a moment before he pressed the tip of the water-gun-turned-wand above his heart. "...I know this looks kinda bad, but don't worry." He added, as his mother and Nosedive raised a brow.

Pressing the trigger and pulling back the gun as he did so, a blue stream of light and energy began to follow the gun-wand out of his chest, and into the hollow middle of the plastic toy. Once the stream had ended and the gun was full and glowing, he then motioned for his mother to get up, and stand in the middle of the room.

She did so, and he pointed the glowing gun at her. Then he pulled the trigger.

She expected it to come out like a shot, but it streamed out instead, like a river, floating along until it reached the front of her torso. It seemed to motion and point at her heart for a second, and after she finally got it, she cupped her hands around her heart, leading to it. The light then quickly wasted no time in entering through the space allowed, disappearing inside of her chest. For a second, she doubled over onto her knees, and her chest glowed like an inner x-ray was being taken. First blue, then green, then blue-green, and then suddenly, her body was lifted off the ground entirely, and an almost violent-looking aurora of blue, indigo, green and teal light shone off of her entire being for just a split second, before she fell to the ground, normal-looking once more.

Nosedive and Cornelius both rushed to her side as soon as it was over, but she was already recovering herself. She sat up, and looked around. She seemed dazed, but energized, and she raised up her hand to inspect it. "Whoa..."

"Karen?" Nosedive inquired. "Are you okay? How do you feel...?"

"I have magic..." She immediately replied, in awe. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about her hand at first to Nosedive and Cornelius, but then she stretched out her hand towards the nearby lamp, and the light within in left the lamp immediately at her beckoning, coming to rest within the palm that called for it. "I have magic...!"

But, in her excitement, she suddenly seemed to fumble, and the light shot out of her hand again, bouncing off the walls over their three ducked heads until it found it's way back to the lamp, shattering the bulb on impact and sending the room into darkness. "Uh... A little more slippery than I thought..." She murmured with a blush.

"Still totally cool!" Nosedive crowed as he got up and turned on the overhead light. "Now we just gotta find YOU someone to help you control these powers. Or, maybe they might be a little less slippery in the morning after a good night's rest?"

Karen nodded, willing away the embarrassed heat from her face. "That sounds good."

So they went back to sleep, Nosedive taking over the couch while Karen returned to her bed. But they only got a few more hours sleep until suddenly, at 6 AM sharp, someone came knocking at her front door again. It was too unusual to be a coincidence - Even religious nuts, salesmen and the paper boy didn't come knocking this early.

Karen approached the door carefully, while Nosedive waited with his puck blaster ready at the hip. She was scared to open the door at first, but then she figured, if it was her mother, father or brother for revenge, they wouldn't have bothered knocking.

Still slow and cautious, Karen opened the door, revealing an elderly and stern-looking woman, with dark hair pulled into a tight bun. She wore green robes, while the two men behind her both wore dark grey suits and coats, one older-looking with dark hair and a mustache, and the other a little younger, with tawny brown locks and no facial hair.

"Yes, hello?" She inquired.

"Mind if we come in?" The younger man asked her back. Wordlessly, she stepped aside as they came in, and closed the door behind them. Nosedive relaxed his hand by his hip, and the older man relaxed his from the wand in his belt, as well. The other two did of course stare a bit at Nosedive at first, but soon after relaxed. These were apparently people that had seen equally strange or stranger beings than him.

"Minerva McGonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts, school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These two gentlemen are my escorts from the Ministry of Magic. We also have a few more down the hall, but everything seemed civil, so we trusted we didn't need them all to come in. Now, I trust you have -some- idea what this is about?" The elder woman began matter-of-fact-ly. "You see it's certainly unusual but hardly alarming when a child develops magical powers. We wouldn't have even come for that - This is far beyond our jurisdiction, after all. However, a child developing highly advanced magic and then promptly being visited by Narcissa Malfoy, the wife of a known Death Eater that IS from our jurisdiction, well, that's more than a little unusual, even for our kind."

Her tone clearly revealed that she was not in the mood to be presented with anything other than the utmost truth. And since Karen was always that kind of person anyways except about this one biggest thing, which she now felt the need to confess, she very bluntly replied, as if laying a lifetime of of the weight off her back with this admission, "It's because I'm Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy's daughter. I was their firstborn, but I was a squib. They hid me away all my childhood. On the eve of my adulthood, and the cusp of your last great war, they sent me away to America. My mother put a tracking spell on me and my blood. I know she never expected me to be magical, but she planned to take any child of mine that turned out to be. So when my very talented son developed his magic, she tried to come for him right away, to use for her own dark purposes. We managed to get her wand away and break it, and she retreated. Then, last night, my son decided he didn't want his magic or the responsibility and danger that came with it. So he gave his magic to me, so that I could hopefully use it to protect him instead. That is what happened, ma'am, the whole truth - I swear it."

Minerva blinked openly. "Well... That's a very interesting story, Ms. Malfoy-"

"Robinson." Karen corrected her right away. "My mother initially named me Madonna Bellatrix Malfoy, but I have since changed my name to Karen Rose Robinson." She explained.

"Very well, Ms. Robinson." The elder witch replied, fully accepting of that, but still stern regarding her purpose. "Then you won't mind a quick and painless magical test to prove your claim?"

"Go ahead." Karen replied immediately, and just as quickly the two wizards took out their wands, and scanned the outlines of Karen and Cornelius' bodies with a golden yellow light. After the outline was completed, the two men blinked in surprise.

"What is it?" McGonagall inquired.

The younger man hesitated, so the older one replied for him, "The boy has only trace amounts of magic in him now. Barely more than the negligible amounts you normally see in muggles or squibs. The woman, however, has two magic signals in her. Both are strong, but the alpha signal is the one that shares the same magic as the boy. I'd hesitate to guess, that the boy's magic amplified the dormant magic in his mother..."

"Astounding." Minerva couldn't help but admit, turning her head towards Karen. "Well, Ms. Robinson... I'll be honest. This is unprecedented. It's simply never been done before."

"Cornelius does things that have simply never been done before at least every other week." She shrugged with a proud smile. "With or without magic, he's one very smart, talented boy... That's why I had to let him do this. I had to protect him, not just from the Malfoy family and the Death Eaters, but our very own blood. Our accursed blood... I can keep the darkness that trails our bloodline at bay. I did it before without magic and as just a little girl when I lived at Malfoy Manor. I can certainly do it now with magic, and with my best friends to help me..." She concluded with a smile, grabbing Cornelius' hand in one of hers and Nosedive's in the other.

The old witch blinked a few more times at her display. "...Very well, then. As long as all parties consented knowingly. But do you know how to handle the gift you've been given? Do you know how to harness it? Control it?"

"Well... Not yet." Karen admitted, deflating.

"I thought so... Well then, Ms. Robinson. After hearing your story and your feelings on the matter, I think I'd like to extend an offer to you."

"An offer?" The new witch parroted back at her.

"Yes. You see, the last great battle where the Dark Lord was finally defeated, took place at Hogwarts, the school that I reside over. Unfortunately many good witches and wizards, students and teachers alike, lost their lives. Attendance is at an all time low, but there's also much fewer candidates to teach. We're barely holding together the main curriculum, and we dropped nearly every elective for several years. We're making an effort now, however, to bring them back. So, since you are in need of a magical education that you have unfortunately outgrown, but have been living among muggles for several years... Well, how would you like to come take up the Muggle Studies class, for just one year, and in exchange, the teachers at Hogwarts will do their best to give you a compressed and practical education of magic after hours? We'll have to omit elective studies, but you can be taught the most basic and need-to-know lessons, with focus on defensive magic."

"O-Oh!" Karen blinked openly, her heart reaching and wanting of the offer, but her brain practically reminding her of the reasons it wouldn't work. "I have to admit, I dreamed of going to Hogwarts as a young girl, before I found out I was a squib, and I was terribly sad when I realized I could never go, but... I'm just not sure if I'm qualified to teach anything at a magical school I've never been to, and then there's my son... He wouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts now, would he?"

Minerva shook her head. "Unfortunately not... But if arrangements could possibly made for him, I assure you, you'd be more than capable of teaching the class. It's honestly very much up to the teacher to dictate what is taught in that class. There's the basics, like muggle forms of transportation versus ours. But you could very well have another class just listening to and discussing the muggle music of the Beatles or any of your other favorite musical artists, provided it's suitable for a classroom environment, of course. Or you could explain what goes on at muggle amusement parks. What muggle children are taught at their own schools. Share muggle food recipes with them, like waffles - I'm definitely a fan of the muggle who invented waffles..." She admitted sheepishly, but then returned to her sterner demeanor. "And that's really all there is to it. The main point is to educate the children about muggle culture and try to develop in them an appreciation of it. And now especially, more than ever, is a very important time to develop good bonds between wizard children and the much larger muggle population..."

"Well..." Karen mumbled back, and Nosedive could see, that even though her eyes burned with desire, she was going to say no. "I really would love to go, but I just can't leave my son alone-"

"I'll watch over him." Nosedive offered before she could finish, and before she could protest, he added, "Karen you NEED to learn how to control your new powers to protect Cornelius. This could be your only chance. I know my teammates will definitely understand once I explain what happened, they'll want to protect Cornelius too. And on the unlikely but possible chance that the Saurians start acting up or there's another kind of threat, there's a panic room that will lead him safely out of the Pond. I also have a friend, Buzz Blitzman, who can watch him if anything happens or when we have a game. I've been meaning to introduce him to Cornelius for a while. He was a kid genius too, and now he's the CEO of Unbridled Technologies. He and Cornelius could totally brainstorm!"

Karen stared at him. He had basically just tossed the key to the real magical kingdom she had always wanted to visit, right at her feet, and she wanted so bad to seize it...

Her eyes flicked to her son, and as soon as they reached him, he was already encouraging her, "Mom, you should totally go! I'll miss you tons, of course, but it'll only be for one year! I know I'll be safe with Dive, and I'll have a blast learning from him and all his friends! And then when you come back you can show us all the cool magic stuff you learned!"

His mother's eyes began to well with tears. But when they finally fell, she broke into a grin, laughed a little, and nodded. "Okay then! Okay. I... I'll do it!" She gave her new headmistress a bow. "So when do I start?"

"The next school year begins only two months from now. However, I'd like to escort you there in one month. You'll need to get magical supplies, like a wand, a cauldron, some robes, to name a few. You'll also need to be familiarized with the school grounds so that you don't get lost too while the first years are also getting lost. It will also give us a chance to give you a jump-start into your magical education before the children arrive, so that you're not just as helpless as the first years. They'll expect a teacher to know at least the most basic magic."

"That sounds about right..." Karen nodded, still bowing. "Okay, one month from now. Thank you so much for this opportunity, Headmistress. I am so very, very happy, I really can't say-"

Minerva held up a hand. "You're very welcome, Professor Robinson. It is mutually beneficial though, so please, focus instead on what you want to teach wizard children about muggles in your curriculum, instead of being so slavishly grateful." She smirked and waved a little, "See you soon~"

With that, Minerva and the men disappeared on the spot as they disapparated away.

As soon as they were gone, Karen began to squeal in her throat until she couldn't keep it out anymore, like a kettle boiling over. She threw her arms around Nosedive and hugged him tighter than she ever had. "Oh my god, Dive - I'm going to learn MAGIC!"

"Ack-!" He squawked, but then quickly bubbled up into laughter, hugging her back almost as tight. "I always knew you were -enchanting- Karen - But you'll actually be able to enchant me when you get back!"

She laughed so much she snorted. "Well - Maybe I will!"

Cornelius suddenly cleared his throat rather loudly. Karen blushed and let go of Nosedive, and then glanced back at her son sheepishly. "Uh-"

"Mom, can we have PB, bacon and banana sandwiches for breakfast?" The boy suddenly diverted with a knowing smile, motioning towards the kitchen.

Nosedive cheered, "Oh man that sounds SO good! Can we Karen, pleeeeease?"

Karen grinned back at her boys. "Sure! And hey, lets see if I can get the bread to float!"

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	4. Chapter 4

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The team was a little wary about Nosedive's impulsive promise at first, but once they heard the full story, and finally met with Karen and Cornelius face-to-face, they quickly became quite fond of Caring Karen and Corny Cornelius, and agreed to help them with their unique situation.

Of course, Nosedive laying down the puppy dog eyes on them didn't hurt.

Just a few days before Minerva was scheduled to pick Karen up again, Nosedive took her over to the Pond, so that she would feel more at ease knowing how safe he would be there. She trusted him already, but had no problems with getting to see his amazing home-away-from-home either. Cornelius had already gotten the grand tour the previous day, but today, he was attending his good friend Goob's birthday party, which was always an event that kids were envious to be invited to.

He wanted to spend as much time with his mother as he could before she left, of course... But it was a POOL party and Goob's dad had even bought a mini-roller coaster. So she'd insisted that he go, and have fun, and not worry about her tonight.

Dive was doing enough of the worrying for her, anyways. "Okay so," He mentioned, as he led her into his personal quarters. "We don't actually have a guest room because, well, we never really have guests. But we're gonna install a couple now, and for the time being, my room is more than big enough for me and the kid, and my bed was already a bunk bed in the first place. He can play on my video game systems, take whatever from the mini-fridge when he's hungry, and there's a work desk over there for him to do his homework-"

"It sounds perfect, Nosedive." Karen smiled up at him. "Thank you so much. You've literally opened your own home for us... I really would like to repay you for this..."

"Thank me not, civilian - Super Dive is just here to serve~" He joked back at her, but she remained serious and steadfast despite it.

"No. Dive... I really, really want to repay you for all this. And, I think I might actually know how to now..."

He raised a brow at her. "Well, that's cool. You know I don't need anything, but if you really want to-"

"Nosedive..." She interrupted him pensively once more. "I think... I think I do have something you need, though. You see... I heard stories from my parents when I was young about witches and wizards that could turn into animals. My brother once mentioned that McGonagall herself can turn into a cat. So, I was thinking... Maybe, if I work and study hard enough, and do well enough at magic... Perhaps I might be able to..."

She trailed off, and Nosedive was about to ask for clarification, when she suddenly reached up, and plucked out a single strand of his hair, which she then placed in a little glass vial she had in her pocket. "Sorry, but I thought I should probably take some of your DNA with me, if I'm going to try and turn myself into a Puckling..."

His eyes went very wide, and he sputtered, "W-What? Why would you do that...?"

She smiled as she glanced away from him, a blush growing on her cheeks. "Because I know... That you want much more than you'd ever ask for. And I want you to know... That I'm willing to give you as much as I can. I know these little roles we've been playing weren't just for play. You want what your brother has. You want a wife. A family of your own. Using magic, I'll try my best to make that happen for you, okay...?"

He was silent for a while, unable to will away the lump in his throat for at least a full seven seconds. "You..." He finally forced himself to choke out. "You'd do that, for me? You'd go, -that- far?"

By and large most of him had always trusted in her, trusted that she truly cared about him. But some very tiny part of him, if only because she had started out with her dark secrets, had wondered if she wasn't just a truly fantastic actress, or if he was fooling himself. But this made it clear as flawlessly polished crystal. No one would offer to outright change their entire body like that for someone they were only using for money. She truly meant everything she'd said to him. She truly did love him...

For the first time, he reached in, wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed his neck and cheek against hers, if only just once, and a bit hesitantly. "I'm so grateful, even if just for the offer... If you can, and you really want to, then of course I'd love for you to do that. You'd be a really pretty Puckling..." He grinned at her as he pulled back, but then, he quickly took a much more serious tone. "But... I don't want you doing anything you think has even the slightest chance of hurting you. If it's too risky, please, don't even try it. Because I want you to know, right now... You love me for who AND what I am. And the same goes for you. I'm more than fine with you just the way you are. You might be a pretty Puckling, but I already know you're a beautiful woman..."

She blushed deeply, and pulled him back in for another embrace, this one as close as she dared, closer than ever before. She had brought their bodies together, aligned them as much as possible, rubbing her cheek against his neck and shoulder and pressing her chest against his. "You're wonderful, Dive. And I won't hurt you or Cornelius by hurting myself, so don't worry about that."

He stiffened up against her form. It was the first the first time he'd ever actually felt a human woman's breast that close, and, well… It was… Not bad. Not bad at ALL…

And though he tried not to be TOO impressed, well, it might be his only chance to ever do so, before his human girlfriend became his puckling wife.

As if reading his thoughts, Karen suddenly pulled back again, only to reach down for one of his hands, and place it over one of her breasts, with both of her hands cupped over his to encourage a slight squeezing. "J-Just in case this crazy idea actually works, and I come back... Different!" She squeaked out as an explanation.

He chortle-quacked until he was gasping for air, almost tickled by the sensations she was giving him, even though he was the one touching her. It felt even better than he had always imagined, and admittedly, he had wondered about it more than a couple of times before…

Now that he thought about it, he supposed that made him pansexual? That is, he had thought about it before, but mostly just out of curiosity. But this wasn't just the satisfaction of a curiosity well-sated. The feeling she was giving him now… It was pretty epic. And it was making his stomach start to stir more and more by the second…

So he quickly ducked his head, and cleared his throat. "Uh… This is really nice, but um, well, the rooms are usually monitored…"

She immediately went bright red and put both their hands back down. He laughed, and set to easing her mind right away. "Don't worry though! The rest of the team is practicing on the ice right now. But um… They probably suspected it already anyways. Even before it was actually a thing, to be honest. Well, more like… Before WE knew it was a thing, I guess…"

"Oh…" She perked up. "Well then, they can't be too worried about it! Still though… I suppose it'd be best to wait just a little while longer, before we…" She trailed off.

"We can wait as long as you want. I don't want to pressure you to do anything you don't want to." He assured her right away.

And she just as quickly reassured him, "But I DO want to!" And after her face went scarlet-rouge, she hotly added, "And if that makes me a freak, well then, my witch-bitch of a mother can just deal with having another kind of freak in our already freaky family!"

"Wow. That was the most metal thing you've ever said, babe."

Her lips stretched wide at the 'babe'. "Thanks, babe. I try~"

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The last days before her departure, Karen spent a little more time getting to know her secret future husband's family, everyone pretending for the time being that they were 'just friends'. They recreated some Puckling dishes for her as authentically as they could with Earth ingredients. It tasted most similar to Chinese food, in her opinion, but also with a flare of barbecue and Indian spices. Then, as they ate it, everyone commented how most of the team cooked for themselves most of the time, but that Nosedive was their resident 'garbage truck' and ate more human-prepared food than any of the other ducks.

It was very good, and she looked forward to coming back to their table as a true member of the family.

But the day finally came when Minerva came for her, and she tearfully kissed her son all over his face, before giving Nosedive a quick and mostly formal hug. Only the two of them knew for sure that there was a promise between them.

And then, she was gone. Minerva had prepared a port-key for them using a tea-or-coffee mug from a nearby convenience store, which she then used to prepare them tea as soon as they arrived at the wizard inn they stayed in on Diagon Alley.

The next morning, they went shopping. Nosedive had naturally given her a hefty bonus, which would easily provide her for everything she would need and want that year. She first converted her money over to their currency, then started going for the things on Minerva's list.

But of course, since they were compressing her education, it meant that she needed to get most of what was required for seven years education all in one go. The books of course would be impossible to carry all at once (well, impossible at least without the magic she had yet to learn) so instead, the books were ordered, and shipped to Hogwarts to await her, except for the first and most basic of the spell books, which she sent back to her hotel room for reading later that night.

Then that left the equipment.

Going through the list, it was decided very quickly that there was simply no time or need of a pet, although Karen did at least stop and admire Arabella Figg's kneazles and cat-kneazle hybrids. But, adorable and majestic as they were, and as sorely tempted as she was, they showed little interest in her, and so she decided, ducks were much cuter to her now anyways, and she could always get a kitten later if she ever wanted one.

So then there were the more practical items… Which had to wait until she first bought a broom. She remembered her mother and father taking her out on broom rides as a very little child, and she couldn't wait for her first flying lesson.

Then there was the scales, the telescope (Minerva had first asked if she wanted to bother with astrology and instead focus on defense and charms and the like, but Karen had requested at least a few night-time classes, since, after all, her current beau came from beyond the stars…), the phials (Karen didn't want to be too fancy at first, so she initially got the glass set. Then she went back and got a crystal one too, just to be on the safe side), and the cauldron – Which again, since Nosedive had been so generous, she bought two of, a standard size one and one just one size bigger than that. The smaller one was for making magical potions. The bigger one was strictly for soups.

Then that just left the wand. Minerva explained in advance, on the way to the famous old shop, that she had saved this trip for last, for a very specific reason. It seemed that the owner of the shop, Ollivander, had been taken prisoner during the war, and held at her old childhood home for some time. So, considering the unique circumstances, which Karen correctly deduced must have been horrible, he had been one of the very few informed of Karen's true identity (the only others being her other professors), so as not to alarm him about her striking resemblance to his former captors and torturers.

When they arrived, he was already waiting for them, and he bade them in politely enough, although he did seem to be studying Karen. Understandingly, she kept her head down in humility, and soon he quickly looked away from her and to Minerva. "Quite a turn of events, isn't it? I banned the Malfoys from doing business with me in the future, but I guess I'll be taking just one more as a customer."

Karen was quick to thank him for it. "I really do appreciate it, sir. Though I go by Robinson, not Malfoy."

He accepted her correction with a simple nod, and then motioned over to a nearby desk, where he had lined up five boxes in advance. Motioning to them, he explained, "These are similar types of wands that Malfoy family members have gotten in the past…"

Karen was quiet for a moment. "…Please, sir. I do beg your pardon, but I don't think a wand that a typical Malfoy would have, will do for me…"

Ollivander crossed his arms for a moment. Then he stiffly shrugged. "Very well then. I suppose we'll just have to start from scratch…"

So he put the other wands away, and then, at random, he took another five boxes down from another shelf, laying them down where he'd had the others. "Let's give this a shot, then." He suggested, opening the first box. "Holly with unicorn hair, 10 inches. Go on, try it – Just give it a swish."

So she did. And a nearby vase shattered. Quickly snatching the wand away, Ollivander fixed the vase with his own wand and then handed her another. "Walnut and dragon heartstring, 11 inches."

The result weren't any better. And after five more disastrous tries, she was still wandless.

Minerva decided to intervene. "Ollivander – It's just occurred to me? Since her circumstances are so incredibly unusual, perhaps so will her wand be? Do you have any odd-wands that have been lying around a while?"

Ollivander pondered it. "Hmm… Perhaps I do have a few like that…"

The desk was again cleared and Ollivander disappeared into the very back of his shop for several minutes. He came back with a tower of seven boxes this time, which he then laid out closely to each other, and took off the top of each box. He then beckoned Karen to inspect them, "You just go ahead and pick up any which one that might appeal to you."

Karen's eyes went over the lot. Then she settled in the middle. There lay a golden-tan colored wand, with a crystal sphere at the end, a straight handle with a crescent moon and some stars carved into it, and another wooden sphere, before leading to the base, which swirled around to the tip. It was cute, so she reached for it, and when she picked it up, she felt an immediate pleasant warmth, as if getting into a Jacuzzi, but not getting wet.

She didn't notice it, but Minerva and Ollivander saw the glittering blue glow that had surrounded her. The wand-maker finally smiled, and let out a sigh of relief. "Ah, so that's the one… Well, that's Pear wood, my dear. A splendid wood! It's said that pear lends its powers to those who are warm-hearted, generous, and wise. Indeed, I cannot recall a single instance where a pear wand was found in the possession of a dark witch or wizard…"

Karen smiled. Apparently that was Ollivander's way of saying he didn't hold her parent's actions against her, and that he trusted her now. He continued, with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, "And the core of that one, it just happens to be a kneazle's whisker! Not usually too powerful a core, but I knew that kneazle personally, and it was a feisty one! Nine and three-quarter inches, a classic length. A very domestic wand, that one. Fit for a protective mother."

They all beamed at her selection, and Karen was about to thank him for it, but then to everyone's shock, a random box suddenly fell off the top of a nearby shelf, unprovoked by anyone else. The wand, a conically-shaped, sparsely decorated, reddish-colored beauty, fell out, and then shot out towards Karen, as if it was going to stab her. Her heart missed a beat, but then jumped back to life when the wand suddenly stopped right in front of her, went upright, and glowed at her, a pinkish-red aura that bade her to take it up too. So she did, now holding a wand in each hand.

Ollivander's eyebrows nearly reached his receding hairline, and Minerva too was looking at Karen as if she'd grown a second head. The combined blue glow from the first wand and the red glow from the second created a purple aura around her, which then evaporated.

The wand-maker let out a breath of relief, then remarked, "Well… This is very, VERY curious, indeed…"

"What?" Karen inquired, but she already knew, deep down.

Still, he explained. "No witch or wizard has ever been chosen by two wands before, Miss Robinson… But then, I suppose it's to do with you having the magic of two people within you…"

"Is it alright if I buy them both? I can pay for it." She inquired, dreading the thought of having to choose between the two. "Unless there's some law against it…?"

He shook his head, "No, no. Wizards often have back-up wands. But to be –chosen- by a wand, that's something else. That's something special. And this second wand that chose you… Well, that's REALLY something special. May I?"

She nodded and handed the second wand over to him to inspect. "Yes, this is the one I thought… I actually didn't make it myself. I got it from another wand-maker, many years ago. An old friend and a respected rival in our field, all the way from Japan. It's Cherry wood, a very rare wand wood, and the most highly prized kind of wand in that area of Japan. Those chosen by such wands are given special prestige. But in addition to that, this wand has a dragon heartstring core… And it's been said, that a cherry wand with a dragon heartstring core, should never be paired with anyone except those with exceptional self-control, and strength of mind…"

Karen bowed her head. "I'd understand if it's too special to part with…?"

He quickly shook his head. "The wand chose you. It's yours if you want it. But can you handle it?"

He held it out for her again, and she almost hesitated. But then she snatched it up again, with purpose. If her son believed she was capable of wielding his magic, then she had to believe in herself too. And she had a strong feeling, that this was the wand that would have chosen him. So now she would wield it instead. "Yes. I can, and I will."

She paid him for both wands, and included a generous tip for his assistance, as she'd done for all the other shopkeepers that day. Then she and Minerva went out to lunch together. After that, they began heading back to their inn together.

But on the way, Karen spotted just one last temptation. It was in the window of a rather ritzy robe shop, a very feminine, almost sundress-looking kind of lady's robe, in pure white instead of the usual darker shades, with a wand-belt, decorated with yellow roses. Above it, a pure white witch's hat, with yellow roses around the brim.

The price tag on either of them wasn't cheap… But it was so, so pretty…

Nosedive's voice suddenly sounded out within her mind: "TREAT. YO. SELF."

She bit back a grin and went inside the shop.

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The month before the children arrived was very eventful. Karen met all the other professors, who first gave her a detailed tour of the grounds. The day after that, her lessons began immediately. She had her nose in a book practically from sunrise to far past sundown, every day and night. She even read while she ate her meals. Minerva had decided to begin with first, second and third year charms, and defensive magic. Focus was put upon how to make various healing potions, but less useful potions recipes were shelved to make more time for more practical magic.

When it came to transfigurations, Minerva, or Professor McGonagall now, was rather excited to see how Karen would do. And indeed, at first, when working on transfiguring one simple, non-living object, such as a cup, into another kind of object, like a plate, or a rubber ball, Karen completed the magic easily.

But when McGonagall asked her to turn a simple living creature, a common rat, into a piece of parchment, Karen hesitated, for the first time in any of her lessons. "B-But… Will it hurt him…?"

McGonagall also had to give pause. "…Well, only if you don't do it right? But you've been excelling at all your lessons so far, I really doubt something this simple will cause you trouble…"

Karen tried to concentrate. She really did. But then something just slipped, and suddenly, there was a weirdly flat rat shrieking in agony. McGonagall changed it back on the spot, but Karen had already nearly flung herself halfway across the room in shock.

McGonagall tried to encourage her to try again. And Karen told her, tearfully, that she really, truly did want to try. "I wanted to learn this kind of magic so badly, because… I want to change my own body…"

The headmistress sighed. "Well, I'm afraid my dear, that changing one's own body is one of the most difficult forms of transfigurative magic there is… If you can't manage it on a rat, I wouldn't in a thousand years dream of letting you try it on yourself. And besides that… You're perfectly lovely as you are. Why would you ever want to change yourself? It's not because of some… Fellow, is it?"

McGonagall clearly didn't do this "girl chatter" very often. But Karen appreciated the effort. "It... Well, it's…"

McGonagall didn't press her to go on. Instead, she merely placed her opinion 'on the table', so to speak. "Well, if it were me, I'd never change myself for a man. They're not worth it."

Karen looked down at her shoes. "But… I know he's worth it, that's why I wanted to so badly. And it's not just for him, it's for his entire species-"

She quickly shut her mouth, realizing what had spilled out. Minerva looked surprised, but quickly put it aside. Situations like Karen's weren't unheard of in the magical world, and she had already suspected the popular American alien was closer to the newly-realized witch than she first claimed.

"Still... I wouldn't recommend it…" The elder professor replied bluntly. "It's a very tricky magic and can go wrong for even the most talented transfigurers..."

To which Karen nodded in understanding and acceptance, albeit reluctantly. "I know. I won't do it. He wanted me to come back to him safe…"

Besides, there was always some way to use magic for the good of another. She just had to think of a different way…

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By the time the children finally arrived, Karen had gotten down most of the third year magic under her belt. Most spells just came naturally to her, and if they didn't, she could normally make it work with the cherry wood wand. The only subject that eluded her continued to be transfiguration and transmutation. Otherwise, she was so far a prodigy. She aced all her charms, consistently made passable at least if not perfect potions, and flew as well as the best of them.

Minerva was a bit disappointed, but she told Karen not to beat herself up over it. That it was very common for wizards to excel and fail at different subjects, and that she was excelling far, far more than she was failing. And besides that, now it was time to start passing knowledge onto others.

Thankfully, muggle studies this year wasn't really a 'pass or fail' kind of class. More of a 'show up and do your best' kind of class, which Karen liked. However, she would have liked it more if, well… More kids showed up.

In its heyday the classroom was capable of seating up to 50 students at a time. Now this particular class had never reached those numbers, but just a few decades ago, it came close. On Karen's first day, however… There were five.

Still, though. Five was better than none, and she taught them all she'd learned. Nosedive had given her a stereo/CD player, and three binders full of the most righteous, inspirational music, from all different genres, and she shared them with them, and let them borrow CDs overnight if they had players of their own. She also shared muggle culture and art through the tablet Nosedive had given her. She talked about the kinds of work muggles did and the things they used in their lives, and answered any questions the wizard children had as best she could.

So a month passed, and by the end of it she'd completed her third year work and moved into fourth. By then those first five students had started passing along how much fun and stress-free the muggle studies class was, and five became ten.

By the beginning of Christmas break, Karen was starting to study year five's work, and her ten students had now become twenty-one, which was actually quite a lot considering how few students there were, but then again, what few students there were, were largely muggle-born this generation. Voldemort had tried to erase the proof of their existence, but most of them had been found anyways. So they were more open minded than many of the children that had been at Hogwarts before, and although they didn't need to be told about muggle lifestyles in general, Professor Robinson's American background greatly interested the children. They loved her taste in music, food, and fashion, and they were greatly impressed that she actually met the Mighty Ducks, in person!

So they were all especially sweet to her the day before leaving for break, knowing that dear Miss Karen, as she told them was fine to call her, in class, as long as no other Professors were around, would only be around the rest of the next year before she had to go. Karen was a little sad thinking of this too, but she was extra excited to have a few weeks of the professor's attention to herself. As much as she wanted to visit her own family too, she knew she couldn't waste the opportunity to get precious study time in. But she did at least skype them with Nosedive's tablet, as she tried to do at least once or twice a week, and was unsurprised to learn that her blond, feathered boyfriend was spoiling her son rotten.

While Cornelius was distracted with one of his gifts, Nosedive took the tablet aside, and whispered. "So, uh – How's the schooling coming along…?"

Karen looked down. "Well… Almost as well as can be expected… I'm good at most kind of magic… Just, not the one that has any chance of changing me… Oh, I'm so sorry Dive – I just can't do it. No other magic makes me so uncomfortable – Just, molding elements like clay is one thing when they're stationary, but living creatures, they squirm, they feel – It's just, it's so—"

"It's fine." Nosedive finally interrupted, soothing her with a gentle smile. "I understand completely. I don't want you to do anything that might hurt you, or makes you uncomfortable at all. Don't worry about it, I'm not disappointed at all. It would have been great if you could, but as long as you're still coming home to me, I've got everything I need…"

"I just wish I could give you what you want, too…" She whispered in a sigh.

He grinned quietly to himself. "Well… Maybe you still can…?"

She turned bright red, and wrinkled back a smile. "…Okay! BUT, first I have to study!" She proclaimed, and then ended the call, too embarrassed to go on.

It wasn't entirely necessary considering her unique circumstances, but before Christmas break was over, Karen was given her OWLS. She received an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms, and Exceeds Expectations in all other classes, except Transfiguration. McGonagall had politely given her an Acceptable, however.

Sixth year and seventh year courses were of course the most complicated, but Karen continued to dedicate herself to her studies that following year, to keep reading when most others were sleeping, until she could no longer fight the need for sleep herself. To study even when eating, though not neglecting her needs either, to keep the energy up to keep learning and teaching.

But finally, it came to the point where Karen was studying more on her own than she was taking tutelage from the other Professors, and by the end of the school year, she had learned as much as she possibly could in the given time. She had taken in as much knowledge as most would in seven years, in just the one. Now it was time to go home, and put what she'd learned to good use.

Tearful and heartfelt farewells were shared by her students and peers alike. She'd come to regard Minerva as more of an aunt than a professor, and her students were all like little brothers and sisters. Although she had another home to make now, she would never forget the year she had spent at Hogwarts. Just the same as how those who had known her during her short stay, would never forget her either.

...And, just for the heck of it, she went back to Arabella Figg's stall just one last time, where an extra-furry white kneazle hybrid kitten with golden eyes was mewling just for her.

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Less than a week before Karen was to come home again, Dragaunus finally made another move. This time, he had gone to, of all places, a pet store, where he snatched up as many heat lamps as he could carry.

It would have been wise of him to just leave with what he had, because the Mighty Ducks had just arrived shortly after he had finished loading the first batch. But for some strange reason, he adamantly tried to go back into the store for the last two he hadn't been able to bring on the first go. By the time he was running out of the store with them, the ducks had just arrived, causing him to run right into them. They, of course, had their blasters already out.

He growled, but they stood their ground. He snarled and showed his teeth. Wildwing glared and finally responded, "You know we're not gonna back down, Dragaunus. I do gotta say though, I'm surprised you're the one doing the heavy lifting here. Even though the only underling you have left is that scrawny Chameleon – Where's he been the last couple missions of yours?"

Dragaunus was now seething, restraining the urge to try and lunge at them, when suddenly, he looked up in shock at his ship, where a small figure was coming out. Presumably it would of course be none other than the Chameleon, except, the small figure was covered head to toe in a black robe, almost something like a burqa, with a protruding belly…

Dragaunus hesitated before speaking up for himself, so very unlike him. "You shouldn't be up—"

And a raspy, but decidedly –feminine- voice hissed back at him. "Silence! I've told you before, this body may be small and frail, but the power I have now is beyond your understanding! Now get back into the ship!"

Dragaunus still seethed and sneered, but he lowered his head in acceptance of the scolding, strangely at peace with it. Like a whipped husband. Most of the ducks were then starting to get the gist of the situation, but as always Nosedive was just a little slower than them. "Wait, what…?"

So the new Chameleon explained to him, while magic began to swirl around… -Her- fingertips. "When you killed my former comrades, the last of the magic Wraith laid domain over made me it's new… Mistress. It changed me, gave me a new purpose and power – The power to bring back the Saurians from the brink of extinction! Dragaunus may still be my lord, but now, I am his Queen…"

With it finally all spelled out for him, Nosedive's stomach turned, and he couldn't help but immaturely exclaim, "Oh – Eeeeew!"

Doing so caused the Queen of the Saurians to focus her rage on him first – Which was advantageous for the rest of the team, but not so good for him, now that her magic had accumulated into a ball of energy. Seething, she then grinned at him, and the ball of magic in her hands turned from red, to purple.

"So, you want to mock my magical metamorphosis? Well then, why not have one of your own!"

The magical beam shot out like a speeding bullet, too fast to dodge, and before anyone could block him, Nosedive had been hit by the dark purple energy, and was left writhing on the ground. His whole body was on fire, pain consumed him. Every last nerve was in agony. His face felt like it was being ripped apart. He couldn't breathe.

He blacked out.

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	5. Chapter 5

(( A.N. Those who are citrus-intolerant, walk away. Thar be a lemon in this chapter~ XP ))

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Wildwing had been the first to react. The others instinctively covered him as he dove for Dive, his brother's form now more alien than ever after Chameleon's hideous spell was done. He grabbed his brother, as fast but also as gently as he could. He was more terrified than he'd ever been in his life. He didn't even know if he was still alive, he just had to get him help as fast as he could.

But then, by the time he retrieved his brother, it was becoming apparent that Grin, Duke and Mallory (Tanya was at home guarding the children) were having a hard time up against the lizards. He had to hurry.

Rushing Dive into the Migrator, Wildwing rushed to get him hooked up to a breathing machine. However, the first mask he instinctively grabbed didn't fit his face, so he had to use the secondary pair…

Thankfully the second mask got him breathing again, and after checking that at least his heart was still beating steadily enough, Wildwing locked him in the vehicle and returned to help the others outside. By then, Grin was feathered fist to scale and claw with Dragaunus, and Duke and Mallory were barely holding their own while teamed up against Chameleon, who was shooting black and red balls of fire at the two of them.

First Wildwing took a shot at Dragaunus to give Grin some leverage, then he went to give Duke and Mal a hand. Even still with the three of them though, Chameleon was giving up one hell of a fight – They were almost starting to get pushed back, in fact, except that suddenly, the Saurian Queen doubled over, clutching her stomach with a cry.

Dragaunus suddenly shoved Grin off of him with a vicious roar, and rushed to his mate, scooping her up and running the both of them into his ship, locking it behind and taking off without another word to anyone.

The Ducks didn't have time to worry (aloud at least) about them or their brood right away – They had to attend to their own injured comrade.

Afterwards they sped him back to Tanya, who almost shrieked at the sight of him, before overcoming it and setting straight to helping him. She managed to stabilize his condition at least, but there was nothing else they could do for him, for now…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

When Karen arrived back in Anaheim, accompanied by Minerva by portkey, she landed in a secluded area in one of the city's parks, and then headed to the bus terminal, where it had been arranged that she would be picked up.

Minerva stayed by her side until her son came into sight, then they hugged, and promised to pen each other, and she departed, while Karen stayed behind to greet her family.

But then she suddenly realized that her son was not accompanied by Nosedive. Instead, his brother Wildwing was with him instead.

Karen stepped faster towards them. "Wildwing? Where's Nosedive?" She asked, immediately concerned. "Is he okay?"

Wildwing sighed deeply. Karen looked down at Cornelius instead, and the boy sullenly spoke for him. "Dragaunus attacked a few days ago... Nosedive was attacked. He's alive, but something's happened to him. He was hurt, by a Saurian spell…"

Karen's eyes went wide, and her heart almost stopped. "…Please, take me to him!"

When they arrived at the Pond, Wildwing led her and the boy to their infirmary. He stopped just outside the door, and then turned to Karen. "…Nosedive is inside here. He's in the first bed. He's… The only one in there, right now, besides Tanya…"

The way he was talking terrified Karen. As if she wouldn't recognize Dive just by looking at him…

The door 'whooshed' open, and she gasped deeply. She recognized him on the spot… But he was so, so different…

He was human, that was the most immediately obvious thing. But it was just as obvious, that he was not a well-made human. The Chameleon had magicked him a human body, but she had not taken much care in its crafting – Indeed, she had made sure that it would keep him miserable. His face and most of his body, including his limbs, were more or less what you would expect of a human male. His build was almost the same as it had been as a Puckling, except that he was maybe just an inch shorter, and his limbs, though still muscular and toned, was just the ever-so-slightest bit slimmer.

The problem was mostly with his torso. The blanket ended at his midsection, so she could see, what would be normal on a male duck, was not translated well onto a human male. His stomach was too thin, compressing his new human organs too close. His chest was also ailing him, it was too small and probably missing at least one set of ribs, which was why he was still having trouble breathing and needed a breathing mask on to keep oxygen pumping into him.

The other problem was his nose, which was grotesquely quite a bit too small, and yet also still weirdly shaped like a bill...

And yet, despite all the pain he was in, his face brightened into a smile when he saw her. "Hey, you're back! I feel better already."

Joking for her sake, of course, even when just that short sentence left him out of breath. That at least was so like him. But she couldn't wipe the worry off her face, and her mind was racing. She had to figure out a way to help him.

And she could. Madame Pomfrey had also been giving her private lessons in magical first aid. The only problem was that certain magical maladies or other such ailments were often cured or assisted through the use of either potions or transfiguration or transmutation. And unfortunately, this was a case that needed transmutation.

She almost doubted herself. Almost hesitated to help him. But then he began to wheeze and cough, followed by sharp, pained inhalations. Looking at him in such a state, she just knew instinctively, without even needing to consult her education, what she needed to do for him.

Putting her bag on the next bed over, Karen opened it, and began to dig through. "Oh!" She exclaimed at first, as a white kitten suddenly jumped out of the bag. She quickly handed her over to Cornelius, explaining, "Poor Windy!" So named because her fur looked like it'd been through a very strong wind all the time, even after being brushed. "Forgot about her for a bit there, Cornelius, will you take her outside to go, feed her some of these treats, and play with her a bit, please, my dear?"

Cornelius had been just as worried as his mother for a few days now, and though he still was, the sight of his first real pet (he and Karen were always nice to any animals they came across, but Karen had never before let Cornelius keep one, and he'd been too content to think to ask for one after they were no longer poor) caused his spirits to finally lift. "Aww! Okay Windy girl, let's go~" He cooed, gently scooping the furry little kitten up into his arms and carrying her out.

As soon as he had gone, Karen pulled a full-sized shelf out of her purse, one that contained several dozen capped vials of potions and dry ingredients alike. She took out two of these potions, a dark muddy-ruddy red-brown colored one and an indigo-blue inky brew, which she drank together. She doubled over for a moment, until her stomach settled, then she quickly washed her hands before returning to Nosedive's side. "Dive, you trust me, right? I want to try and help you with this – Will you let me try?"

Nosedive nodded right away, without any hesitation. "I trust you, Kare-Bear…" And well, by this point, he was desperate and would try anything, even magic from a just-graduated witch.

But it wasn't just any witch. This was Two-Wands-Robinson, and when she really set her mind to something, nothing could stop her. Taking out her cherry wood wand, she pointed the tip at her palms, one at a time, until both of her hands were glowing a warm pink. Then she stepped forward. "Okay. Nosedive, I need you to be absolutely still for a few seconds, maybe half a minute. I'll even need you to stop breathing, just for a moment. Then, when I tell you to, take a deep breath. Okay? You ready?"

He nodded weakly, and went limp for her, trusting in her fully, even as she slid her glowing pink hands into his chest, phasing into light with no blood. While fused within his chest, she willed a couple of her fingernails to grow the extra ribs he needed. Then, before removing her hands completely, she instructed him, "Okay now – Take a deep, full breath!"

At first Nosedive wasn't sure he'd be able to, since he hadn't been able to do just that since getting hit with the dark Saurian spell. But he tried, and to his immense relief, he felt his lungs, chest and abdomen expand, and his nose broaden with a painless tingle. The pain immediately washed away, and a wave of euphoria accompanied right after as the oxygen he'd been deprived of returned to his brain and blood.

"Oh my goooood—" He groaned, taking a few more deep breaths as Karen took her hands back again. It made him giddy and light-headed, and he had a goofy grin on his face as he took her now non-glowing hand and held it in deep appreciation. "I haven't been able to take a full breath like that in days!" So he took another. "This feels so much better." And another, ending with a sigh. "I feel great!"

Wildwing and Tanya both took a deep breath of relief too. The older Flashblade even wiped away a tear from the corner of his eyes. "Karen, I don't know how to thank you enough…"

"There's no need." She assured him right away. "I'm just glad I was able to help In fact, I want you to know – I'm always happy to be of service to any member of your team and family, in any way I can. If you'll have me…"

Wildwing nodded sagely, his eyes gentle and smiling at her. "Your help is very much appreciated, and accepted. We all consider you a friend here, Karen." Then he got on his wrist-com, and called the others. "You guys, come to the infirmary. Dive's made some good progress, come see."

The others came quickly, and Grin hugged Nosedive as soon as he saw him. "Your chi is back in balance, little bro~" He told him, admiring the fixed new form, as was everyone else.

"Yeah, kid – Now that you've filled out, you actually don't look so bad!" Remarked Duke, stroking the underside of his bill in thought. "Just saying – That's not a bad human-face you got there! I mean, I've seen way, way worse lookin' human guys…"

Karen blushed a little, and looked away. She definitely hadn't been thinking something like that herself the last minute or so. No way she was thinking how that face was beautiful in-between of masculine and feminine, and just a touch of androgynous… No way she had made that nose just the right size and shape to accent that pretty face…

Nosedive noticed her little gesture though, and grinned back at Duke. "Yeah? Hehe, well, I guess that's good at least—" Suddenly though, he reached up, grabbing at his new nose and mouth. "Oh man – That's so weird! I've felt nothing but pain in this body so far, but this is—" His mouth kept going between a grimace and a grin, and he started to snerk and giggle uncontrollably. "I don't know why, but – It tickles!"

The others all laughed with him. Then Wildwing turned to Karen. "Well, since you've learned magic now yourself, do you suppose there's any chance you can turn him back to normal?"

Karen went from lightly blushing and smiling, to pale as a ghost and on the verge of tears, in barely more than an instant. "Oh – Well, of course I would, I mean – Oh, dear, I wish I –could-, but…"

Wildwing and the others, except for Nosedive, who secretly already knew, looked at her expectantly. She began to sniffle, "It's just – I did well in most of my classes, but I only got an Acceptable in Transfiguration, and well, the professor was really generous giving me that, I probably deserved a Poor mark. Especially because, I never actually even studied Transmutation at all, only the most basic Transfiguration. The transmutation I just did is the first I've ever done correctly, and I think it's only because something very wrong needed to be fixed. I swear I'd do it if I thought I could, but – The rat – I turned it into a squeaking little pizza of pain, please, I'm sorry-!" She finally finished, in a bit of a panic.

The leader of the ducks held his hands up in understanding, and to slow her down. "Whoa, whoa – It's okay, I believe you! I'd definitely rather have a human for a brother than a pizza of pain!" He nervously cleared his throat. "But, uh… I mean, if you did some more studying on the subject, do you think it might be possible to turn him back someday? Or maybe, do you know of any other witches or wizards, better at this subject, who might be able to do it…?"

Karen began to fidget, but Nosedive abruptly intervened for her. "Hey, bro – What's the rush? I mean, if I can turn into a human in the first place, then I can turn back. But, yanno, it wasn't exactly a comfortable process, so I could go for a break in between the full-body transformations. Plus, how often do you get the chance to live in a different body for a while? Like, pretty much almost never, right? I'm just saying, this is, well… It's kinda cool! Like, come feel this skin!"

He beckoned his brother over and held out his arm for him to touch, as well as his leg for the others to also feel. "It's like, kind of a little like snake-skin, except it's hairy – But not furry-hairy! Isn't this a trip?"

The others felt his skin, but didn't seem as enthusiastic as Nosedive, who was earnestly rubbing his arms and legs. "Like this is seriously – So weird! But it's cool! Right? Am I right?"

At his prodding, the others finally began to murmur in agreement. Wildwing shrugged too, "Well, I guess it can wait, just a little while…"

Since he was no longer critically ill, Nosedive moved back into his room that night. Karen had just put her belongings into storage and let the old apartment go after the run-in with her mother. It was simply safer to find a new place, and there was no use renting a place when you weren't living there. Nosedive had bought a house for her the month prior, however, so she had a place to live once she retrieved her belongings.

But tonight, she was staying with him. Although they had added a guest room by then, Cornelius stayed with Nosedive most nights. Tonight, however, he had explained that since there was only two beds and three people, that he would retire to the guest room himself that night. Karen blushed at the suggestion, but didn't question it, and kissed her son gratefully on the forehead before he ran off down the hall.

So now that it was just the two of them. Karen shuffled slowly back to the bed, and sat down next to Dive. Who then shimmied closer to her. "…So? What do you think? Not what we originally planned, but… It could still work, right? I mean, it's actually a pretty fortuitous turn of events. That stupid Chameleon could have turned me into anything. I guess he – Er, well, I mean, she figured, that it would be insulting to turn me into a human, but… Heh, well, I guess she's been too preoccupied with her and her gross 'lord and husband' to notice that turning me into a human was more of a favor than not…"

"Yes, except for the whole deformed torso bit. But, like Wildwing said earlier, you... Do want to go back to your original form if you can, right? I mean, I can't do it, but I do still have your hair sample, and I could always get in touch with Minerva who probably either could do it herself or knows who could… Well, maybe, anyways…"

Nosedive finally looked down sadly, confusion clear on his new features. "Well, of course I eventually wanna go back to being the old me—The REAL me, but, this is—I mean, I dunno. I guess it could just be the oxygen rush making me think funny thoughts, and get too ahead of myself, but – We could be together like this, right? We could, just go on a date, in –public- even, and nobody will blink an eye at us! And we could, you know – I mean, if you still want to, with me, like this-?"

She blushed deeply and grinned at him. "Of course I still want to, with you, like this. But Nosedive, if just smiling and laughing tickles you, I'm just saying, if we go too far too fast, it could give you a bad case of sensory overload. So we should definitely still go slow. Maybe we could start with, you know… A kiss?" She suggested, unable to hide the longing glance at his lips while doing so.

"Oh yeah!" Nosedive exclaimed excitedly. "Those kisses you were always giving me! I guess I get to see what the big deal is now!" He leaned in closer to her and puckered his new lips at her, a little oddly and exaggerated. "Go ahead babe, I'm ready!"

She couldn't help but laugh, though she quickly stifled it, before leaning in and placing a hand on each side of Nosedive's new cheeks, just slightly chubby but connected to a strong, sharp jaw and chin. Nosedive immediately closed his eyes in bliss, just from the touch of her palm. So Karen saw no reason not to lean in herself and close the distance between them.

When she connected their lips together, her eyes went closed, but Nosedive's shot wide open again. His mouth was obviously preoccupied, but if it weren't, he might have said something rather silly, perhaps even an expletive, because it was… Just, hot -damn-.

If something this simple, just barely touching lips together, could feel THIS good…

And then Karen tilted her head just slightly to the left.

…Wow.

And then she pressed in a little more firmly, and slipped her hands under his ears and into his hair…

Nosedive suddenly pulled away with a deep gasp. And another. Then he turned away, and quickly rummaged through his nearby backpack for an inhaler that Tanya had given him, just in case. Good thing too.

Concerned and a little guilty, Karen inquired, "Oh gosh, are you okay, Dive?"

But after getting the wind that had been knocked out of him back in, Nosedive turned back to her with a huge grin. "I'm great! Oh wow. I mean yeah, I definitely see what you mean about the sensory overload, but man, wow, that was—Babe. Wow. Can we do it again?"

Considering she'd literally stolen his breath away, Karen was of course a little hesitant. "Um, are you sure? You're okay, right?"

He nodded earnestly. "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah! Now that I know what to expect, I think I can handle it better this time!"

She nodded back, most than a little eager herself. "Okay! But, you know, maybe – Just remember to breathe through your nose?" She suggested helpfully.

Nosedive blinked and blushed. "Huh? Oooh! No, that makes so much more sense! Okay, here we go again…"

He learned forward again, and this time was the first to touch his lips to hers. She held his face again, but this time she let herself fall back, taking him with her. Taking the hint, he was the one to press their lips together this time, shifting over her. First he put his hands on her shoulders, then he got indecisive, and replaced them onto her hips. Doubting himself again, he took his hands back, but then Karen reached up and took his hands in hers, intertwining their fingers, and he finally relaxed the rest of his body against hers.

They kissed for a full two minutes, never parting their lips, and keeping their pelvises apart, to make sure it stayed just a kiss for tonight. But it was the kiss of their lives, and everywhere above the waist, they explored – Their hearts thumping against each other. Afterwards, they simply just cuddled, until both of them had fallen asleep.

That night, Wildwing and Tanya and Duke and Mallory were spending with their children, and Grin was stationed at the computer. He saw, and then he had promptly chosen to close his eyes and meditate for a bit.

The others would find out sooner than later…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

The next night, Nosedive was still feeling much better, and he insisted on taking Karen out to celebrate her graduation. Cornelius went with them, but the rest of the team stayed home. They dined in a public setting for once, and saw a movie together. It was nice, but nothing they didn't usually do at home together.

The next day, Cornelius asked his mother if it was okay to spend the night at Goob's house. They had since become best friends, and Cornelius now even played as a back-up player sometimes on their school's baseball team. So he was going over to practice with the rest of the team, and to go swimming and then camp out with snacks and s'mores. Windy of course was coming along with him, as she had quickly become his new best friend too.

So it gave Nosedive and Karen another night to spend, and instead of doing the usual routine, they decided to go out dancing. Not at the usual club setting though – There was a modern ballroom nearby, and the two of them went shopping beforehand for some fancy clothes to wear. Wildwing had withdrawn several million for his brother to use as a human, as they didn't want to tell the government about this unless it proved to be permanent or long-term, and so for now, Dive could just pretend to be some random rich kid with a preference for paper. And the entire team was on maternity leave for a few years anyways so nobody but the fans would miss them anymore than they already did, at least for a few more years. So Nosedive flashed some cash and bought himself a tasteful dark blue suit, and a silky white dress for Karen, which sort of resembled a modern toga.

"I'm excited… But I'm nervous!" Karen admitted, hanging off his arm as they headed into the ballroom. "I've never danced in front of anyone before… Well, you know, besides you…"

"Then pretend it's just me." Nosedive smiled back at her. "After all, as far as I'm concerned, you're the only one out there for me…"

He suddenly pulled her into a twirl, and within that twirl, it seemed like the world and all the colors within it lit up, illuminated and sparkling. The music playing was all their own, every note and lyric, just for them. Some of the music was years old, some of it was new. But all of it, every song, resonated within their hearts, both on the same exact wavelength as each other. Many of the other dancers and spectators were staring at them, but their attention was completely focused on one another.

Close to 8 PM, they finally slipped away from the crowd, laughing and still humming the tunes that had been played. "Mmm, there's just something about you, baby~" Nosedive rumbled to his woman, who giggled in his arms.

Suddenly though, her giggling ceased, and she went strangely quiet. Nosedive nudged her for an explanation, and she pursed her lips for a moment, barely hesitating before blurting out, "Do you – Do you wanna get a room somewhere tonight-?"

He stopped and looked straight at her face. She averted his gaze for just barely a second, before locking her eyes back onto him, with her deeply intense expression. "I mean… We don't have to go back right away, so… Let's… Let's stay together tonight…"

Nosedive grinned until his lips hurt, and opened her car door for her. "I think I know the perfect place, milady~"

He seemed very sure of that, so Karen followed him with almost as much confidence. After a short drive in the new car he'd bought for her, but which she insisted he drive, he brought them to the tallest building in a row of tall buildings, a new and very swank hotel for the rich and fabulous.

He bought them one of the finest suites they had available, which was located at the very top floor. First he went and paid for a room, while Karen gathered a few nearby brochures out of curiosity and nervousness, then they got into the elevator, and everything was fine and dandy and normal, until it finally reached the top floor. Then, when the elevator doors swished open, and Karen saw the long row of doors and rooms in front of them, a strangely displaced but unshakeable sense of dread seized her.

As they walked down the hall, she continued on in silence, but couldn't break away from the thought that any one of those doors could contain some kind of horror. A demon, a monster, or anything in between or far beyond. Of course logically one should only assume there to be more or less perfectly average human occupants in those rooms, but that's not what her soul was convinced of. Her nerves, her very sense of self preservation, felt like this place, no matter how beautiful the room would surely be, was no place to be making love, or anything other than a will, for that matter. It didn't feel like a normal building to her. It reminded her of the Malfoy Manor…

Karen realized abruptly that Nosedive had stopped, and he was reaching out with the card-key towards the lock. She seized his wrist, gentle but fierce. "Wait."

Nosedive immediately stopped, and looked over at her. "What is it?"

"I… I'm so sorry!" She suddenly rushed, "I can't explain it, I can't for the life of me understand why, but this place just gives me the creeps. I can't do it here. This building, it's just, so big… So many rooms…"

Nosedive's light bulb finally turned out. "Oh gosh! I'm so sorry, no, I'm definitely the one who should be sorry, I just wanted to treat you to a posh room and be all ritzy but I totally forgot your reverse claustrophobia thing! No, I'm an idiot, we should definitely go. Eff this 1408-shit, we're out."

Of course he sounded disappointed about it, but he was also completely resolute about her comfort, so she didn't protest his lack of protest as they went back down the lobby, returned the key after assuring the staff there was no problem with the room, that something else had simply come up, and went back to the car.

Karen didn't let more than a few seconds pass after closing the door to mention. "I still want to do this. Tonight." She clarified, looking right at him.

Him looking right back at her, "Just tell me where you'd feel most at ease."

She pursed her lips and clutched at the brochures from the hotel that she had brought with her. "But… Dive, that's just it though. My 'reverse claustrophobia' thing, it's only due in part to the size of a building. Mostly, it's the spirit that I'm susceptible to. The aura. I can sense if there's darkness in the history of a place, I'm sensitive to it because I was raised in a place saturated in it. No offense, I know you tried and I appreciate it, but even if that place looks beautiful, -something- dark is lurking there…"

"No, no! Totally good call, babe!" Nosedive rushed to assure her. "I know it must be a burden, but I think that's a really amazing power if you think about it! You know what? I even think… I think you –were- magical all this time, literally, but your parents couldn't see it because they didn't want to see what your power made you see. But even though it's a pain in the butt, it also kinda protects you too, you know? You hear about all these people moving into places and then BAM creepy ghosts start showing up and they gotta move out, that would never happen to you! No losing your virginity in a hotel with a shady history either! So go on babe, seriously, I don't care if we gotta drive all night and test out every inn and shack in the vicinity to find one without any spooks. Just tell me where to go next."

She was positively glowing. "Thank you for being so understanding, Dive… So, as for our next 'dive', how about this place? Cabin by a lake, with a cute little swing on a tree and everything? Shall I give them a call?"

He readily agreed, and she called, and it just happened to be vacant. After meeting with the owner, who just happened to live down the road, they exchanged money and keys with an elderly couple and drove down. It was a old but pretty little two bedroom place of seventy years, painted teal blue to match the nearby lake, and as soon as Nosedive pulled up to it, Karen took a breath of relief. "No darkness here… A few arguments here and there, but never violence. The good times had here by far outweigh any bad. This area is pure, free of malice. It will do just fine."

Nosedive couldn't help but pump his fist and hiss, "Yesss!", then straightened up while Karen laughed.

They both hurried to get out of their seat belts and up to the door, passing some ducks that lived on the property along the way, and after a bit of jingle-jangling, the door opened to reveal an interior that was antique, but clean and well kept, with a cute little armchair and sofa set, wine colored with pink roses. It was even still covered in plastic.

Without even bothering to see what the bedroom looked like yet, Karen pushed Dive over to the nearby sofa, and immediately straddled his lap.

Aroused and receptive, but still confused, Nosedive let her kiss him several times before finally pulling away to mention, "What about, the bed-?"

She smirked down on him. "We'll get to the bed soon too, but… I like the aura on this couch. It's fun…. And fertile. Life has been conceived on this couch before…"

A jolt of lightning shot through the pit of his stomach. Before he could think of a lame reply, Karen went on, "You… Wouldn't mind having a human child, would you? I mean—"

He shushed her with a finger to her mouth before she could even utter the first of her doubts. "Hon, I literally once raised an alien monster as a child. I would be just as thrilled with a human child as any other. Like who knows, if for whatever reason this didn't work, we could still get a dog or another cat or a cow or literally whatever, I love all animals – Yanno, as long as they're not douche-bags like the Saurians… Ugh. Killing the mood. Please shut me up, babe?"

She filled his request, and his mouth, on the spot, pulling him into a kiss so passionate, it left him dazed for several minutes. He used that time to get good and comfy on the couch, ignoring the slightly awkward plastic and focusing instead on his mate, specifically, her cute little fruit-shaped hips and buttocks, which he couldn't help but give a slight squeeze.

Which was then rewarded as she squeezed her legs around his lap, and held his jaw forcefully as she kissed him madly, kissed him senseless.

He let her for a while, but soon he started to become impatient. Not that it wasn't nice, but they'd done it already… He wanted something new, and exciting. As always.

"Hey babe," He mentioned, finally pulling away from the kiss, with some reluctance. "Would you mind, if I maybe – I mean, maybe, if we-?"

Nearly reading his mind, Karen reached down to the skirt of her white dress, pulling it up over her head and off of her. She was wearing a pair of plain white panties underneath, with only a tiny white bow in the middle as decoration, and no bra. Her breasts were already at full attention, ready and waiting for him.

Well, as a gentleman, he needed to do something about that.

Catching one breast in his hand, he pulled it into his mouth, sucking firmly over the nipple and an extra half inch or so of flesh.

"Oh—" She moaned, twisting her fingers into his silken blond hair. "This is-!"

She seemed to doubt herself, and cut that thought off short. But Nosedive was curious now, so he let go of her and inquired, "This is what?"

She blushed dark. "It's… Completely different, from, you know, when Cornelius was a baby… It feels even better…" She tried to hide her face by looking away, embarrassed. "That sounded stupid, I just meant—Oooooh~!"

Nosedive suddenly felt it was Karen's turn to be shut up, and he did so very effectively by firmly squeezing the opposite breast. Of course, this stopped her speech, but it didn't necessarily make her quiet.

They kissed, and licked, and groped and fondled, everywhere, all over. Nosedive's clothing soon joined Karen's on the floor, and they showed no signs of slowing down… At first…

But, it was a hot summer night, even late as it was, it was still warm enough to make their current activity literally hot, and not just sexy-hot. Both of them soon became flush with redness in their faces, and multiple beads of sweat began to roll off their skin, all over. And they hadn't even gotten to the 'main event' yet.

"Phew!" Nosedive finally mentioned. "Is it just me, or is it-?"

"It's really hot in here…" Karen finished for him, breathing heavily. "I mean, I know this is supposed to work up a sweat, but this is…"

"A lakeside property?" Nosedive finished for her with a grin. "What do you say, babe? Wanna go take a dip?"

Naïve as she was sometimes, Karen didn't miss that double meaning. "Okay~ But you'll have to keep me warm if the water's too cold…"

Going outside, still naked and not bothering to hide it since there was no one around, they headed down a nearby set of rustic stone steps, which led to a wooden pier, thankfully a newly renovated one at that. Splinters would be difficult to get on such finely sanded new wood.

Once at the end of the pier, Nosedive carefully dipped his human toes, odd as they were to him with no webbing, into the water below. Smiling as he looked back at Karen, he informed her, "The water's great. Just a little cold, but nowhere near freezing."

Needing only wordless magic for such a simple heating spell, Karen made sure it wouldn't be too-too cold no matter what, and then with a playful run and push, she sent both herself and Dive, well, diving off the pier and into the water.

When she brought him back up, she did so with a kiss, though a short one at first so they could catch their breath, but then a much longer one as they instinctively reached to hold each other and share warmth in the barely cool water around them.

After a moment or so, Karen paused again for breath, and then felt compelled to admit before returning to him, "Dive, you're a genius… I kept wondering why the thought of doing it in the bed felt so odd. So 'out of my element'. But this is actually being in an element! I feel like... Like it's enhancing my magic? This is perfect… I feel like it can't get more perfect, than being here, now, with you…"

Nosedive swallowed thickly. He could barely breathe at the moment, let alone form words with those human lips, which now felt more alien than ever. He wanted her so much now that it was all he could think about. He had barely a half-formed idea about what to even expect, but he knew he wanted it more than anything, ever.

He was about to dare to ask her, but then, she beat him to it, and whispered in his ear, "Dive… I want you, inside me, now…"

Water, water everywhere, and yet somehow his mouth felt completely dry all of a sudden. He could only nod, before pushing her over to the nearby pier, picking her up and then placing her back against the beam holding up the dock. This placed her at just the perfect height and angle to join their hips together.

With Karen's warming spell countering the chill of the water, the temperature was already comfortably close to lukewarm. But then he led his strangely slippery cock up to her, and she reached down and took it with her hand, and led it to her womanhood, and the temperature started to rise again.

Still treating her like a virgin despite everything, and despite his rather contradictory-sounding name, Nosedive went in slow at first, almost painfully patient. The heat that held him made him half delirious from pleasure, and holding back his libido was almost as hard as holding back a dragon on a leash.

Until he heard her whisper in her ear, "Nn… Nosedive… I want more…"

He just instinctively knew what he had to do… So he did it. He gripped her hips, pushed in all the way. And then he stopped, for just a second. His length was all the way inside her, and the head of his weirdly bulbous cock (it straight up looked like a microphone – How did people in media take it seriously when having to hold one?) was pressed right up against what felt like a stretchy sort of wall.

And, apparently, Karen very much cared for having that weird wall touched, just as much as he liked touching it, because she moaned low, gripped her arms and legs around him and –squeezed- him, everywhere. Then it went from feeling sinfully good, to just straight up heavenly, and every time he pushed back against that wonderful wall, it was like a secret kiss between them. Every gasp of air and noise of pleasure from her was new and just for him. Her euphoria was his, and vice-versa.

It seemed to be going well, too well in fact, and Nosedive started to worry. He had pleasured himself many times, in both forms, though mostly in his original and true form, thinking of her, preparing for this moment. It had been to absolutely no avail, because there was no preparing for pleasure this perception-shattering-ly good. He had hoped he would be able to last for her a while longer, but it was too, too good…

But, still wanting her to finish soon too, he remembered one of the things he'd learned in secret about human female anatomy – That magic little button, the clitoris.

Puckling females didn't have them, at least not pronounced and sensitives ones like human females. So Nosedive had no idea what to expect when he reached down, ghosting his hand over her navel, and then further down, until he found the little pink pearl he was seeking. To be fair though, Karen had no idea what to expect either…

So it surprised both of them when she gasped deeply and bucked her hips against him, squeezing -hard-, writhing and rolling against him and calling out his name, "Oh my god, DIVE-!"

Her obvious orgasm triggered his own, and he hugged her close to him as he buried himself deep in her, pushing back into her several more times as he released, and with every motion, Karen rocked back against him, moaning, "Oh god, Dive, oh my GOD—"

'Karen, you goddess', He could only manage to think, not say aloud. 'You need to hush up before that goes to my head…'

She did no such thing for several seconds, however, until the waves of pleasure finally finished crashing over her. Only then did her moans taper away to quiet mewls, face red and eyes fluttering. "Oh my god… Dive… How did you do that…?"

He had to catch his breath for a few seconds before shooting back at her, "Hey… That's my line…"

Grinning, he kissed her lips, and then leaned in close next to her ear. "I can't believe how you came on the spot like that when I touched you there… I kinda hate to say this, but, then again, I've kinda always wanted to say this – Earth girls are easy!"

She sputtered into confused but mirthful laughter at his bewildering comment. "W-What-?"

He snickered under his breath. "Sorry, babe. It's just – Back on Puckworld, when I was growing up, I used to hear from the older males: To be active, get strong and work on your stamina, because no female will want to stay with you if you can't make her come, and to make a Puckling woman come you might have to give it to her all night long… But this was like, what? Five, ten minutes tops? Which I'm not complaining about at all by the way, that was the best ten minutes of my life and doing that much longer would get exhausting—"

"I –am- exhausted." She corrected him lazily. "And you're practically talking a mile a minute, you silly duck~"

He stopped and had to have a good laugh at that. "Okay, sorry, but I'm just saying, that clit is something else! Next level! It's almost just as easy as getting a regular guy off. Not that I'm saying you're like a guy, just - I guess I'm just trying to say… That I think your body is really special, and that I'm actually kind of glad now that things worked out this way, instead of how we first planned…"

She grinned up at him, but it was quickly followed by a yawn. "I'm glad you're glad. And that you're so full of pep. Can you carry me back to the bed before I fall asleep here and drown, dear?"

He stuck out his tongue at her morbid humor, feeling his weird new lips and teeth, slightly smaller than his old set. "Of course, dear. You make me feel stronger than I have in a long time…"

So he carried her back, all the way, without showing any of the fatigue he truly felt until they reached the bed. Then, as soon as he placed her down on the bed, he let himself fall and roll into the other side of the bed next to her.

"Goodnight Dive, my dearest…" Karen cooed to him, quirking a sleepy smile.

Despite the exhaustion he had always expected would be overwhelming after his first time, the way it was for Karen, his eyes were wide upon her. "Goodnight, my love…" It didn't sound grand enough to him though, and he had to amend himself, "Karen, you are… My –eternal- love…"

Suddenly finding herself to be the subject of a very intense stare from Nosedive for once, Karen blinked, a bit more awake as he seized her in his arms. "Karen… I promise you… No matter what form either of us may ever take, pleasant or unpleasant, I will always love you…"

She of course understood the implications of his words, and she nodded, still smiling at him. "In sickness and in health, right?"

He grinned, and then relaxed into an embrace with her. "Exactly…"

He barely slept. He kept feeling their weird barely-hairy pig-skin throughout the night and smoothing his fingers all over her body. She slept soundly while he did so, and even though he only slept half as many hours as her, he woke up just as refreshed the next morning.

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The next morning, they got up early, gave another go in the bed and on the couch for good measure, and then collected and put their clothes back on before cleaning their small messes and driving the keys back to the owners. After that Nosedive drove them into town, got them a couple of lattes and scones from the nearest café for breakfast, before driving them to one of the secret entrances to the Pond. They ate in the car, in no hurry until they finally finished, and found themselves with the task of going past the others…

Going past them, not as they were before, and not just in the sense of a physical form, but a state of mind.

Karen insisted on accompanying Nosedive, though. It would be only gentlemanly to escort a female partner all the way to her door, and properly meet the folks, if the roles were reversed. And she was just that type of lady.

…-Still-. Once they actually got to the door of the common room, where the MD's and families would be having their breakfasts, it was suddenly at least twice as awkward.

And then they actually opened the door, had all eyes suddenly on them, and it went straight to 100.

Almost immediately and at the same time, Nosedive and Karen both reached up with one hand, waved and smiled stiffly, and then shimmied to the door that led to Nosedive's room very fast.

Just before they disappeared behind those whooshing doors, Duke and Mallory began to snort and snicker, unable to hide or hold it back anymore.

Wildwing bristled. "What's so funny…" He knew they already knew that he knew.

But Duke would never dream of sparing him now. "Oh, it's just kind of a trip, yanno, seeing a coupla humans show up at breakfast that obviously just -did it-…"

Mallory nodded past her mirth. "They totally did, it's all over their faces…"

Wildwing rolled his eyes. He wasn't wearing the mask at the current moment, but he didn't need one to see that they were right. "Well? So? Don't tell me we all didn't see this coming eventually…" He finally admitted, as did the rest of them.

"Yeah those two have definitely got a thing…" Tanya agreed.

Mallory shrugged back. "Well, each their own. But Wildwing, you know, don't you think you should…?"

"What?" He replied, feigning ignorance.

Duke supplied for his wife. "Go talk to him, ya big dumb-dumb. Give the kid yer blessing even though you know he doesn't need it…

Wing kinda already knew all that. But he kinda also needed to hear it too. "Alright. Thanks, guys."

They nodded and he headed into the corridor that led to Nosedive's bunk. And just outside the door, he found them. Kissing. Floating.

Literally hovering just above the ground, Karen's magic seemed to be pushing and holding them up. Like a true gentle-lady she had wanted to kiss her date at the door, and just before realizing he was there, that kiss continued as naturally as anything, and Wildwing could see in the way Nosedive was kissing her and how she was kissing him, how they really felt about each other.

It was a soft kiss, but a firm kiss, and it cast a warm, very light pink magical aura around them, like a shimmering veil. Pure love emitted from them like stardust from fairies.

It was beautiful, magical, ethereal… Buuut it was still his brother and it was still embarrassing, so Wildwing cleared his throat, and they instantly broke away from each other, and floated quickly back down to the ground.

"Oh," Karen immediately began to fret. "I'm so sorry, Wildwing…"

But Nosedive worked up his nerve, and shrugged. "I'm not. I planned on telling you soon anyways, bro. So now you know…"

Wing slowly nodded. "I understand… And I don't mind. I mean, you know, I… I get it. It's just… What are you two gonna do if we ever find a way home…?"

Nosedive had been the one to reassure most of the time about this matter, but this time, it was Karen who spoke up. "I belong at Nosedive's side. Where he goes, I will follow him…"

Of course Wildwing asked the obvious. "What about Cornelius?"

Karen looked down, and took a deep breath. "…I love my son, Wildwing. But despite what I would say to his face, I didn't get to fairly choose him… I will care for him until he's old enough, but when he is old enough, it's his choice to make. If he wanted to go, we'd take him, but… I am fairly certain that my boy would choose to stay here… He is an important member of the human race. His world needs him, and he knows it. But besides that, I can tell his newfound friends are very important to him, too. His best friend Goob is going to be a very excellent man someday too, and I think… Yes, I think I see a wife for my son, eventually? A brilliant raven-haired beauty…?"

Nosedive gawked openly at her, "Wait, babe – You can see the past AND the future?"

She blushed and looked aside modestly. "Well, I guess? But it's new and weak, and it's more feeling of what could be than really seeing, and it's definitely not my magic, this new one. My power is to feel the darkness or light in the past of a place, this brief future-sight is definitely from Cornelius' magic…"

She shook her head to clear her mind and will the magic to leave her be now. Powers were grand but they were also very draining, and she desired to see as little of the future as possible, though it was reassuring to know her son would be more than fine here without her… But hopefully not too soon. "Besides, my boy is so brilliant, if anyone were to invent a interdimensional cell phone, it'd be him! And well, maybe… Maybe if my son and I both work together, with all of you, we can help you find a way back home and how to turn Nosedive back to his true form. I can't promise that we'll succeed, but I promise that we'll try."

Wildwing nodded slowly, and then held out his hand for her to shake. "Honestly, I actually feel much more hopeful with you both on our side… Before we had numbers on the Saurians, but they've just managed to take that advantage away. But then, with them having a strong magic user on their side again… Well, I'm just glad we have one now, too."

She grinned and saluted, half jokingly and half serious. "Always happy to help the team, Captain."

But then she blushed, and started to duck out. "Er, well, I should probably go pick up Cornelius and take him home now… I'll see you later, at home, Dive?"

He nodded and waved to her as she left, and she kept mum about the fact that her future-feelings had divulged her just one last thing. She decided to wait at least long enough until it would show up on a pregnancy test…

In the meantime, the Flashblade brothers waited until she left and the doors closed behind her, then Wildwing gave his little brother a playful whistle and slight shove. "She's actually not bad for a human. Or for a witch."

Nosedive crossed his arms and gave his brother a much more knowing smirk in return. "Bro, she's literally not bad at all..."

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	6. Chapter 6

Wildwing and the team were patient with their youngest and newly-transformed member, as he went through what they were referring out of his earshot as his "honeymoon phase", with him spending far more time than not at Karen's house.

But after a couple of months of mostly leaving him alone to enjoy himself (which they had to admit, even if his new form and his enthusiasm for it weirded them out a bit, they were still more glad than anything that his bout with depression had taken a permanent hike), Wildwing finally sat his brother down and requested that he join a team meeting the next day. However, Wildwing also told him to bring Karen and Cornelius along too, because he "wanted the whole team to be there".

Karen and Cornelius had smiled just as big as he had when they heard that.

But then, when they actually got to the meeting, they were a little more nervous than not. Wildwing and the others did their best to make them feel at ease, but it was also clear that they weren't there to play a game of Monopoly. There were Very Serious things to discuss.

Being the captain, Wildwing knew they were looking for him to begin, and so he did. "I've called us all here today to discuss a few things. But first, I'd like to make an official announcement – That is, that Karen and Cornelius Robinson are now hereby official members of the team." The Mighty Ducks all clapped politely, and Wildwing went on, "That is, in our fight against evil, not our hockey team. No offense, but you two would probably get creamed on the ice." He hoped his attempt at a joke would lighten the mood.

The mother and son chuckled earnestly enough, and Karen returned, "I'm more partial to quidditch, anyways."

Having no idea what that was, Wildwing simply replied, "I'll take your word for that." Then he moved on to business. "So. Like any alliance should be, this is a mutually beneficial relationship. I trust we both were already aware of that. But I just wanted to make it all clear between the entire group what exactly that relationship entails and what is expected. Sound good so far?"

"Yes, sir." Karen nodded seriously, her back straight and rigid, all at alert.

The team captain put his hand up. "Please, no need to be so formal—"

"Okay, 'Wing." Karen relaxed replied immediately with a small smirk and a wink.

He had just been about to say 'You can just call me Wildwing, or even just Wing'. It was meant as an icebreaker, but Karen apparently beat him to it, though it was hard to say if she had been aided by those future feelings, or if she had just guessed and decided to be a smart aleck like Dive. It was kind of crazy, but Wildwing was inclined to think it was the latter this time.

"…Okay." He finally accepted with a slow smile, then continued, "So, like Nosedive has been doing for you so far, we'd like to formally extend our pledge of protection to you and your son against your estranged family and the… Dark wizard gang they are apparently in? And in return, we are grateful to accept your magical abilities to aid in our fight against our foes, the Saurians. We of course extend this with the stipulation that our priorities come first to us, and yours do to you. So if there is ever a situation where you are in need of help, but we are unfortunately preoccupied with some evil lizards or some other threat, you will need to be able to defend yourself."

Karen nodded. "Of course. Understood."

Wildwing nodded back. "Otherwise we'll do our best, just as we trust you'll do for us. However, on that note, there was something else we wanted to make clear… Now that the Saurians have been given a genetic leg up from the brink of extinction, we potentially have a small army to deal with in the future. And depending on how long Dragaunus decides to wait before attacking again, it could possibly be an army of adolescents, maybe even children… So we needed to know. Can you kill a Saurian to defend us or yourselves, even if it's a child? You must realize though, that as cute as some baby Saurians might be, they won't be being raised in a tender loving home. These aren't just children to Dragaunus – They're soldiers. He's going to make them ruthless and vicious, he'll raise them to want to kill us and enslave your planet. Knowing that, can you still fight them, or even kill them if you must?"

Karen was quiet for a minute, looking awkwardly to the side. "I… I must be honest. I'm not sure. I know I could take arms against Lord Dragaunus or the Queen Chameleon. I could kill them if need be. But are you sure that the children will definitely be as evil as them…?"

Wildwing shook his head, but it was Mallory who answered for him, hotly, slamming her fist on the table suddenly. "Honey, of course we can't be sure of that! But we can't afford to second-guess ourselves in the heat of battle, either! Children or not, those reptilian rugrats are gonna be out for our blood. It's them, or us. So can you deal with that or not, sweetheart?"

The sugary-sounding names clearly had a bit of a bite to them, but Karen took it without flinching… Too much. "I understand… I'll do whatever I must to protect the team."

The response pacified Mallory enough for her to settle back down, and in the meantime her husband spoke up after her, "So, say – You ever get in touch with them magic folk about getting Nosedive back to normal? Or have you lovebirds been too busy and forgot about it?"

Despite the teasing, Nosedive and Karen suddenly went quiet and serious. Cornelius spoke up for the two of them at first to lighten the mood, "We actually got a short visit from Professor McGonagal a few days ago…"

Gathering his courage, Nosedive took over for him, "She said that she had spoken to all of her colleagues, and every other wizard she knew that excelled in transmutation. She said, and I quote, 'I'm sorry, but nobody with a decent reputation will attempt a full-body transmutation on an alien species they know nothing about, even with a DNA sample and plenty of pictures.' So basically, for now, I'm either stuck in this body, or I gotta trust a real quack to do experiments on me. Pardon the pun…"

The rest of the team looked down at their laps with him, sharing his disappointment. But again, it was Cornelius who sought first to lift their spirits. "Come on guys! I know things have been really shaken up for all of us lately. I know we all have a lot on our minds and it's making things feel heavy… But I've always believed in all of you, and you've all helped me believe in myself. I really think we can handle even an order this tall, as long as we all stick together and be positive. We just have to – Keep moving forward!" He ended very authoritatively, even going as far as to bang his skinny little fist on the table.

Everyone blinked at him at first, surprised by the outburst from the young boy. But then Nosedive whistled and began to clap. "Man! That was inspiring! That bit at the end there – Keep moving forward? That was great. That sounds like it could be a slogan!"

"I've got goose-bumps." Grin serenely supplied. "But then, I am a quarter goose on my mother's side…" The small colony of Geese had come to Puckworld from a distant planet hundreds of years in the past, and had long since interbred with the natives, producing a small populace of rather 'beefy' ducks, like Grin.

"Man Wildwing, I think you just got shown up by a kid…" Duke couldn't help but tease.

The captain simply rolled his eyes and smiled. "Excellent addition, Cornelius. Thank you."

"At least he's not as annoying as Buzz!" Tanya whispered to Mallory, "That nasally voice can just get so irritating sometimes, yanno?"

Mallory snorted, but kept her true thoughts to herself. "Oh yeah Tanya, I know what you mean…"

Before his wife could catch up to Mallory's sarcasm, Wildwing cleared his throat and mentioned, "So, I think that about concludes all the most pressing announcements I had to make. Unless anyone else has anything to mention?"

"U-Um…?"

All eyes immediately moved to Karen, the source of the hesitant squeak for attention, and she mustered up all the nerve she had to raise up out of her chair, and raise her voice loud enough for them all to hear. "Actually, there is something I think I ought to mention, since we're all together…"

Despite saying that though, her next move was to look back at Dive, her eyes locking with him. All of her attention on him. "Nosedive… It's still very early, but, my future senses have told me that I'm going to have your child…"

Nosedive's eyes bulged for a second, choking on a stunned silence. He finally forced himself to ask her, in lieu of pinching himself, "S-Seriously…?"

She grinned big and nodded enthusiastically for him, then, slightly more hesitantly she added, "Actually, my power also kind of ruined the gender reveal for me already… Would you like to know?"

Nosedive nodded back right away, not hesitant at all. "Ohmystars, yes!"

So she took great pleasure in letting him know, "It's a girl…"

He made a choked noise, like he couldn't tell just how much joy to express yet, since there was so much. It was overflowing. He felt like he could scream, except that would just hurt everyone's ears.

Then he remembered, of course, what one should do when learning such news – Tell your family! And even though Wildwing and everyone else were right there and had already heard, he still turned to his brother and exclaimed, "Wildwing! BRO! I'm going to have a DAUGHTER! I'm going to be a PAPA!"

None of the other ducks could help it, they grinned big for him too, none of them showing any of the lingering feelings of awkwardness they still felt. They were just happy he was so happy. They could always tell that it had been one of his greatest wishes, and he always helped to take care of their hatchlings so earnestly.

After fanning himself for a brief second, having worked himself into a bit of a feverish state, he then pulled Karen into a tight hug. "Oh my stars Karen, I'm so happy… Thank you…"

It was plain to see that he was over the moon, and she hugged him back just as tightly, just as happy as him, and for him. But there was someone else to consider, and it seemed like they both remembered to consider him at the same time, as they broke apart the hug by just a few inches and looked over at Cornelius.

He just smiled for them too, but admittedly, it was a slightly sad smile. He was just as happy for them as everyone else, and he felt a great deal of joy himself. But he couldn't help but wonder, for just a moment, if his mother would come to love his new baby sister, conceived in love and not from a crime, more than him…

But then his mother reached down for him, gathering him into one of the great big bear hugs that he had forgotten to ask her for in quite some time. He suddenly wondered why and how he could have forgotten, and vowed to remember to do it more often in the future.

After giving him a strong but gentle squeeze, she whispered in his ear, "Cornelius, I want you to know… I wouldn't have the life I have now, if not for you… All this happiness I feel now, all the happiness I've felt since you came into my life, is thanks to you. I really mean it. My life was almost nothing but misery before you were born. But ever since you came into my life, it seems like the happiness I feel just keeps increasing every day. So I want you to know now, that I love you, son. I always have, and I always will. Nothing will ever change that…"

He squeezed her back for several seconds, and once she did finally let go, he immediately rushed over to Nosedive, and gave him a big hug too. Burrowing his head against his abdomen, the boy whispered to his father figure and friend, "Thanks for making her so happy…"

Because, as a scientist, he always gave credit where credit was due.

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Thankfully for Karen, and the rest of the team really, Dragaunus seemed to have no plans to send his little soldiers out while they were still hatchlings. Wildwing almost even wondered if maybe seeing the miracle of life might change the Saurians for the better, the way it did with him and most other well-adjusted species.

The very day after he had entertained that ridiculous notion, Dragaunus raided a farm several miles outside of Anaheim…

A duck farm.

He loaded most of the birds onto his ship, then chose five of them with very particular markings… Markings that closely matched those of the Puckling counterparts that Dragaunus still believed to be alive. He ripped them apart, decapitated and completely massacred them, leaving their blood, bills and feathers, their webbed feet and entrails, scattered everywhere. Then he slashed the farmer when he came to investigate the noise, and left him alive only so that he may give a message to them.

He relayed it on the next evening news, "He said… To tell the Mighty Ducks that his sons won't be satisfied with such small prey for long…"

So that was that.

Thankfully they soon had something much smaller and cuter to think about, as the months passed by in a blissful flash, and before they knew it, Karen's due date had come along, and just as predicted, so had a healthy little human girl.

Now they just had to think about naming her.

Cradling his newborn in the infirmary shortly after the birth, while his wife (unofficial to the world, as official as anything to them) rested in the bed, Nosedive finally mentioned, "So… Have you thought about what you want to name her?"

She blinked. "Oh… Well, honestly, I haven't thought about it too much… It's just, you know… I named my first child Cornelius…" She snorted with laughter and shielded her blush from view. "I'm just saying, maybe you should name this one…"

"Oh, well…" Nosedive seemed more than a bit surprised by this request, and at Karen's look of inquiry, he decided to explain, "It's just… Back on Puckworld…" He seemed a little hesitant to mention it in his current form, but he was still a Puckling deep down, so he forged on, "On Puckworld, it's just common knowledge that whoever makes a thing, gets to name it. So, since women are the ones who actually make the children, it's expected that they are the ones to name them. I mean, of course many wives will ask their husband's opinions, especially when it comes to sons, because on Puckworld sons are usually named after their male ancestors, their fathers and grandfathers and uncles. But girls…"

He cocked his head while looking down at his beautiful blonde-haired daughter, "Well, I mean, technically they're named after their mothers and aunts and such too, but we also technically name them after our ancient goddesses. Puckworld's been more of a technologically advanced planet longer than not, but we still feel it's… I dunno, lucky? Respectful? Like, Mallory is one of our ancient goddesses of battle, and Tanya is one of the goddesses of wisdom. Mallory is said to have given weapons to soldiers in need, while her sisters Miranda and Melody would give armor, and sing to encourage the soldiers, respectively. Tanya and Sonya were goddesses of scientific and artful inspiration... Like, yanno that saying, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Well in Puckling culture that would be a silly question. The goddesses are the 'chicken' that came first, and Puckworld and all of it' inhabitants are the 'egg'."

Taking all this information in, Karen hummed in thought, then asked, "So… Did you guys have a goddess of love?"

Nosedive looked over at her, and smiled with a wink. "We did… She was only the most powerful goddess, but yanno~" Then he looked back down at the baby, who he could barely stand to look away from yet, as he explained. "She was a many-faced goddess, but there was only one of her. She had many faces because she represented all the different kinds of love, not just romantic. She was also technically, like, the goddess of Creation, I think? Because like I guess all the goddesses were just sitting around doing nothing, and then she was the one who was all like, 'Hey guys, why don't we create a universe or something, with like planets and people or whatever?' And they were like 'Sure why not, what else are we using our cosmic power for?' SOOO, technically she also had many different names, BUT, the name that referred to all of her, in all her glory, and to the feeling of pure love she felt for all her creations, was… Kendra."

"Kendra…" Karen repeated, as if inspired. "Dive, I think I love that. Do you love that?"

"Babe, I totally love that. My lovely daughter Kendra…" He cooed down at the tiny human girl, who smiled for him, causing him to gasp with delight. "She likes it! It's perfect!"

They cooed her name to her for a while, then a contented silence passed between them. After a few moments, Nosedive piped up, "Hey babe… Did you really just name him Cornelius because he "looked like a Cornelius"…?"

Karen blushed and looked away awkwardly. "It… Might have been the name of the Minister of Magic when I was a girl… And it might have been the fanciest and most impressive-sounding of the dozen or so names I had in my vocabulary at that time…"

Nosedive snorted. "Despite all that "you know how I feel about magic", you always loved it, didn't you?"

She shrugged with a smile. "As much as I love the sun and the moon and food and flowers and you and your stories and my babies, I guess~?"

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All of Kendra's family, feathered or not, were overjoyed to meet the babe, and it felt like she grew up in a blur. Admittedly, Cornelius was just a little jealous of his baby sister and all the attention she was getting at first, but it was all too easy for him to shower her with that same attention himself. Plus, being the growing boy that he was, he was off hanging with his best friend Goob more often than not, and he was the star member of the chess team. He was even a back-up on Goob's baseball team, there to play if someone got injured or sick. And apparently, Cornelius had confided in his mother, a very cute raven-haired girl had recently started to cheer-lead on her own for the baseball team… And the chess team… Though she accommodated her cheers to be more like very encouraging whispers for the latter, at either one she seemed to be most prone to shouting with joy whenever Cornelius scored...

Which of course encouraged him to work harder and play better, as intended.

So a year passed by. And another. Things seemed to continue on more normally than not. Despite his altered form, Nosedive was so happy with his wife and children that he couldn't say that living as a human didn't bring him at least as many joys as being a duck. He and Karen even had a talk about adding another member to their family, but they decided it was best to wait until the Saurian menace was taken care of, at least.

So for now, Kendra was his pride and joy, and he spoiled her almost every hour of every day. But finally one day, just a few days after her third birthday, Nosedive and Karen decided that some "alone time" was long overdue. So they arranged for Grin to babysit that day, since the others were busy with their own broods.

There was no doubt in their minds that nothing could go wrong with Grin on the job… Until he called them up about halfway through dinner to inform them, "Something's gone terribly wrong…"

Rushing back to the Pond, the couple were shocked to say the least at what they found. "Uh…" Nosedive barely managed to verbalize, staring at his daughter without 100% understanding what he was actually seeing. Karen could only gawk at the girl, her eyes and mouth wide open. "Care to explain, buddy…?"

Grin rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Er, well, you see… She playing around a lot at first, and then she had a snack… Then my daily hour of meditation came up, and I figured, it would probably be a good way to get her to take a nap, if I let her join me… At first I was quite amazed at how easily she took to meditation. She was really super zen, but then… That started happening…"

The 'that' which was currently happening, was that while meditating in the lotus position, the toddler had not fallen asleep like Grin had expected, but instead had entered a deep trance-like state, and had started to levitate into the air. It had happened so fast that Grin hadn't had time to catch her, and now she was hovering just below the ceiling, still in the lotus position, with her hair being whipped every which way by a mysterious magical wind that constantly swirled around her, like a cocoon made of zephyrs or some kind of strange egg-shaped tornado.

"Ummm… K-Kendra, sweetie?" Karen barely brought herself to call. "Can you come down from there now…?"

Of course Grin had already tried that, and had not gotten any sort of response from the child. But when her mother called, suddenly her eyes flew open, glowing white like the moon for a few seconds before they returned to her usual blue. Then the winds began to die down, and she slowly floated back down to the ground, unhurt.

Karen held out her arms for the girl while the two men breathed a sigh of relief. But it seemed they sighed too soon, for as soon as the girl reached her mother, she exclaimed excitedly, and clearly, all of her words perfectly pronounced, "Mommy, Daddy! Guess what! I just learned the intricate details of all my possible destinies!"

"…" The girl had barely just learned her shapes, colors and ABCs. 'Intricate' and 'destiny' should NOT have been part of her vocabulary… And, now that they looked closer, it seemed that her eyes, although they had returned to blue, still had a bit of an unearthly glow…

Karen and Nosedive stared in silence for a moment. Then they turned around for a brief moment and huddled together to talk in private. "Babe I gotta be honest, I dunno how to deal with this…"

"Neither do I…" Karen confessed.

"…Wing it?"

"Wing it."

Turning back around, they found their daughter waiting patiently for them. Nosedive addressed her nervously, "So, uh… Wow, you're really talking good all of a sudden! I bet you could even graduate Kindergarten early, huh?"

"Actually, I've already graduated from several dozen colleges, in spirit!"

"…"

Karen graciously stepped in for her husband, who seemed unable to come up with a response just yet. "Um… Sweetie, you understand that, your father and I, we're a little worried right now, about this, right…?"

"Oh, I understand much more than that." She smiled. "But you really don't have to worry! You guys raised me with all the love in the world, so I have no interest in pursuing any of my darker timelines, however few there were."

The grin on her face was so proud, it was as if she were showing them her very first mud-pie all over again. She went on, as she seemed to be the only one capable of it at the moment, "In fact, I believe I've managed to single out the best possible direction for my life, that will benefit not just me, but also the most people besides myself, which I'm hoping will please you two... I'm going to be - Big brother Cornelius' bodyguard!"

"…Okay I'm sorry but whaaaaaat…?" Nosedive finally managed to mutter. "I love you princess, and I get that you're apparently some kind of cosmic anomaly now and you've probably been a black-belt at least a hundred times, but you're still… A baby! A cabbage patch doll. You're tiny. How are you going to protect your big brother? It ought to be the other way around…"

"We both know that beanpole of a nerd can't protect anyone, and I've only been a black-belt thirty-seven times but yes, I do understand your hesitancy about my current state, which by the way will be temporary, and I will only remember a slight bit of what I've seen, so you needn't worry about me sounding this pompous forever—"

Both parents had a very deep, LOUD sigh of relief at that.

Kendra went on as if she hadn't heard it. "But now, in order to change back to how I should be, I'll need to borrow your wand, mother. Don't worry, I'll get my own later~"

A little slow on keeping up this one time, though that was usually her husband, Karen mumbled, "B-But, you've never even gone to Hogwarts…?" When she learned that her daughter would be magical, she always imagined her going to Hogwarts or at least some other magical school during her teenage years, but of course you would normally never think to hand your wand to a 3 year old… And yet, she was still doing it, instinctively reaching for the cherry-wood wand…

The child explained calmly as she handed it over. "Mother, I've been to Hogwarts three times. I've got twenty-one years over your one. You needn't worry about me. But this is very complicated magic, so please take a step back. I'll explain while I prepare the magic for the spell…"

By the time she was saying this, Karen and Nosedive and Grin took a step back, but Wildwing and the rest of the team, who Grin had also called, were just arriving. So they were all there to see her start to magic ropes of light around her body, in pink and glittering gold, and explain to them, "I'm currently being jointly possessed, telepathically and across dimensions, by the Puckling goddesses of Time and Creation, and the Earth goddess of Magic, respectively. They are fixing a problem in my time and creation. You see – Nosedive and Karen? You were actually supposed to meet and create me a few years earlier! So now I'm owed a few years. But on top of that, they're going to add a few more years to that, to make me as old as Cornelius. That way, I'll be old enough and big enough to protect him, and I'll be in his same grades at school so I can help him whenever he needs me! And don't worry about me losing any years of my life, because I get the extra ones back later in life~"

Karen blinked. "W-What-? But wait, what about your childhood?!" It suddenly occurred to her that the girl would never have one…

And she did look a little sad at that for a moment, but she quickly started to smile again. "It's okay! I don't mind giving up this time of my life for later, because, it means I get to give a special surprise to you all! Mighty Ducks, listen, and rejoice!"

Just as she was saying this, Cornelius was just getting home from baseball practice, only to see his little sister's body being wrapped in sheets of light and gold, and talking to them all in an ethereal voice, as if she were a god, "If you continue to work hard, and keep your spirits up, you will one day be restored to your true forms, and to your true homes! It may not be as soon as you'd like, but considering there were very few timelines in which you ever returned home, I'm sure you're glad to know you'll at least spend your golden years back on Puckworld! So be strong, keep faith! And one last thing? If you can, try to… Love your enemy…"

With those final enigmatic words of advice, the magic enveloped her completely, wrapping her body in light. Then her body, temporarily made of light, began to stretch, and grow, and when it was done, she floated back down to earth. Then the magic burst away from her in glittering clouds of smoke that disappeared in thin air seconds later, and the girl stood, no longer three, but thirteen, and without any glow left in her somewhat dazed and confused-looking eyes.

Her brother, no longer 'big' but the exact same age and height as her, gawked openly at her. "What the-?! Is that, is she—KENDRA?" He looked over at his weirdo parents, clearly the first place to look for answers on weirdness. "What the HECK happened here?"

"Oh man…" Nosedive groaned and rubbed his forehead. Despite the wonderful news, it was a LOT to process, and now he had to explain to someone else what the heck just happened? "Listen lil dude, why don't you just go ahead and sit down for this one…"

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	7. Chapter 7

(( A.N. A shorter chapter this time, but I hope you guys like it. ;P ))

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After giving his stepson the basics of the events that had just passed, Nosedive was just barely coming to grips with it himself. Of course it was great news to hear that he would someday be returned home and to his original body (However much fun he had in his human form, it was a borrowed body, and he missed the one he was born with) and to the homeland that he wanted so much to see again, but it was also a bit more bitter than sweet to know that it wouldn't be for a long time yet. He knew he was lucky that he would get there at all, but he couldn't help but wonder if his mother would live to meet his wonderful new family…

Wildwing was grim and pensive. Nosedive was sure he was thinking the same thing, but then he turned to Kendra, who had been abnormally quiet for a few moments after all that possessed chatter, and asked her, "Kendra… Please, tell me. The goddesses, do you remember if they mentioned anything to you about someone named Canard?"

The girl blinked at him, processing the question. As soon as he asked, the information manifested in her memories as if she had always known. But the look on her face told everyone before they had even heard her words that it wasn't going to be what they hoped to hear…

"…It's difficult to say…" She finally forced herself to mumble, still getting used to all the information that had been uploaded into her new form, both the mundane and the otherworldly. "And I'm afraid that his fate was the same in all timelines…"

Wildwing interrupted her, impatient with her hesitancy, "Please. Just tell me. I just want to know…"

"…You'll never see him again." She finally admitted to him, which caused his heart to sink. The rest of the ducks hung their heads in respect for him.

Kendra quickly continued before they lost too much faith, "But he didn't suffer! He was only stuck in dimensional limbo for a few hours, and then he escaped through another portal that randomly opened up for him. That portal took him back to Puckworld. However, it was not the same Puckworld you know…" She added quickly, as she saw them look up at her with hope in their eyes. "The Puckworld that the portal led him to... Was many hundreds of years in the past of the world you lived in. He eventually settled in, and he invented many important things for your world. He was just as loved in that community as he was in yours. He married a wonderful Puckling female, and fathered many children. His descendants include none other than the legendary Drake Ducain himself, and… You."

Wildwing's low-hanging head steadily began to look up at her explanation, and by the end of it he had sprung to his feet. "W-What?!"

"It's true." Kendra repeated, knowing he'd need to hear it said again to fully believe it. "Uncle Wildwing, Daddy-Dive… Your long-lost friend Canard and your hero Drake Ducain… They are your ancestors. So please don't be so sad by this news, because, even though you'll never meet again in this life, your friend lives on. Through you…"

After a short pause, Wildwing bent down to hug the girl, and Nosedive was quick to follow him. Soon all of the ducks were sharing in a big group hug. Not a dry eye or feathered cheek in the house...

Karen smiled through her own misty orbs as she watched them… And the vaguely tawny-colored spirit that appeared very briefly behind them, placing his palm on Wildwing's back for just a moment before disappearing.

How curious. Karen had never seen a ghost smile before…

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Karen was worried out of her mind.

Nosedive was worried too, and for the sake of his wife, he was getting a little righteously livid.

Cornelius and Kendra had gone out with their friends to a baseball game that night, and it was now nearing midnight and they hadn't come back…

It was completely unlike them. Cornelius was of course the type to never stay up that late unless it was for the sake of an important invention.

And Kendra, despite her increase of age and wisdom, was still just as pure in spirit and childlike as she had been before. She still loved playing with her dolls and watching kid's movies (though she preferred animated films and cartoon shows over her old Sesame Street-kind of programming), and she seemed so comfortable around them and in her new skin, that although it was hard to adjust their eyes to, it wasn't hard at all to adjust their hearts to. She even still ate her peanut butter, bacon and banana sandwiches cut with her favorite old dinosaur-shaped sandwich cutter, and she still favored the princess-pink dresses she always loved back when she was still a toddler, a little over a year ago.

So they knew she definitely wasn't the "party girl" type either, to say the least...

"Oh my god, oh my god…" Karen fretted as she paced, trying to call her son for the tenth time. "He said he'd call if he ever needed help, but what if he couldn't get out the phone quick enough, oh god—"

Nosedive was quietly contemplating what he would say or do if someone had laid a finger on either of his children… Suffice to say, he'd make the Dad from "Taken" and his tactics look like tea and crumpets with the Queen of England…

Suddenly, there was a knock at Karen's front door.

Her and Nosedive rushed to it. She unlocked and opened the door, while Nosedive stood with his hand hovering over his puck launcher. But it was no ransom-grubbing dark witch or wizard standing on the other side, it was their son, who was unhurt, but the boy that he had hanging limply on his and Kendra's shoulders was not…

It was Goob, and the poor boy's right arm, his pitching arm, looked as if a large wild animal had gotten hold of it for at least a few second. Blood was running down from several gashes and holes, and he looked extremely pale and weak…

"Oh my god! Get him inside!" Karen ushered them in right away. Franny followed closely behind them. "Cornelius, what on earth happened?!"

"It was a werewolf, Mrs. Flashblade-Robinson!" Franny immediately supplied for her still rather traumatized boyfriend. "After the game we went and got ice cream, then we cut through the park on the way back home, and a werewolf appeared and tried to kidnap Cornelius! Me and Kendra beat him up, of course! And Goob took a bat to it! But then it started yelling at us, "Stop, stop, uncle, uncle!" We asked him why he ought to show him mercy, and he said, "No you stupid muggles, I'm his uncle!" But when we finally let him go, he tried to attack Cornelius again!"

"And Goob took the bite for me…" Cornelius finished for her, full of guilt and sadness for his friend.

"Draco…" Karen exhaled, before momentarily forgetting about it, and setting to work to help the teenager.

Taking out her cherry-wood wand, she healed the superficial scratches and bite wounds, cleaned the blood and drool and then restored the fluids that the boy had lost. He still looked tired after she was through, but then, he apparently had been diagnosed with both anemia and chronic fatigue syndrome, which explained why he always looked and felt a bit like a zombie, even when exerting himself physically. It made his prowess on the field and in defending his friend even more impressive, because he was literally always exhausted. Despite diligently getting his eight hours of sleep every night, it did him no good. He would live his entire life never knowing what it was like to not be exhausted, to have energy. He was always running on empty, and he always would. Or so he thought…

"Thanks for the patch-up Mrs. Flashblade-Robinson," Goob mentioned languidly after she was done, using the name that only they knew for now. Though the Mighty Ducks were preparing to make an official announcement about it soon, as their agreed upon maternity leave of six years was coming up, and they would be soon going back to holding games open to the public. They would have to explain it all then, why one of their Mighty 'Duck' teammates was now apparently a human, but for another few months at least they could enjoy their privacy. And even after telling what they were prepared to the citizens of Earth, there were of course a few details they were leaving out too, as they'd been advised by several high-up magic-men to do.

"Oh Goob, no, thank you so much sweetheart…" Karen replied, giving him a hug. But then, pulling back from him, she couldn't help but still look sad. "And… I'm so, so sorry, sweetie… I can only heal the scratches… You do know what being bitten by a werewolf means, right…?"

He paused, then nodded. "Well… That does suck… But I still don't regret it."

Karen's eyes sparkled with gratitude, and she had to kiss his forehead and his cheek, too. "Oh, you brave boy! I promise you, I'll brew the Wolfsbane potion you'll need to stay in control of your mind during your transformation for the rest of your life. If I ever have to go somewhere, I'll be sure to brew as much as you need. I can't stop the transformation, I'm so sorry about that, dear… But I can at least make sure you never hurt someone when you're like that. The way my awful, horrible, -evil- little brat of a brother did to you! Oh…" She finally withdrew from the children and hid her face in her husband's chest, shaking with sobs. No matter how selfless the boy was, she couldn't suppress her guilt for what had happened to him.

And despite that too, Goob tried to ease her worries anyways. "It's okay, Mrs. F. Really. These things happen sometimes. I've had a pretty long sweet patch there for a while, a few bumps in the road won't get me down for long."

Cornelius hugged his friend too, and the girls soon followed to join him. After a few moments Karen managed to calm down and then have a short think, after which she began to mumble, "My parents… Must be being imprisoned, otherwise they'd never send that cowardly boy to do their work for them. They're punishing them for their failure. But they're scared of me, which is why they tried to get Cornelius as a ransom instead of trying to strong arm me, of course… I'm sorry Cornelius, but we'll have to be much more careful from now on…"

He sighed at the soon to be realized loss of his freedom, but he nodded in acceptance of it like a good son. "It's okay, mom. I understand."

Kendra spoke up too. "And, I'm sorry too mom! I had a chance where I could have taken out the werewolf, before he got Goob, but I hesitated… I thought that because he said he was our uncle, that he was the "enemy" that I was supposed to try to "love", as the goddesses advised me. But I think I was mistaken now…"

"No, Kendra…" Karen immediately denied, thinking deeply. "No, baby… I would never want you to do something like that unless you absolutely had to, to save your own life. But I understand…" She sighed deeply. "Between the Death Eaters blackmailing my parents, and the attack that we're always expecting from the Saurians… We can't deal with having to anticipate both of these problems at the same time…"

She sighed again, this time in a very irritated manner. "Love your enemy, huh… Damn it… I… I know what I have to do…"

Nosedive blinked at her, not liking the vibes coming off his normally cheery white witch of a wife. "What? What do you mean, what do you have to do…?"

She looked up into his eyes, giving him a special sort of grim and determined look. A look that told him that she was going to do this, no matter what. No matter how much she herself didn't want to.

"I have to go back to Malfoy Manor…"

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	8. Chapter 8

(( A.N. Hey everyone. This is another slightly shorter chapter, no need to tell me, I already know. XD In fact, the next few chapters are probably going to be slightly shorter than usual chapters too, because the next two parts of the story are kind of long, so for the sake of my own sanity, and so that I don't get overwhelmed trying to write them in their entirety, I decided to break them up into parts instead. I have a lot on my plate IRL, I just started a new job and although I really like it and get along with most everybody, there's always that one person trying to make things difficult for you, and I'm trying really hard to not let them affect me and just do my job until my probation is up. Me and my baby are really depending on it. So although I really like doing this for fun after all the work of the day is done, it really has to remain as fun and stress-free as possible, or else I can't do it. I've abandoned a lot of fanfics before because they ceased to be as fun as they were when I started, which bummed me out even more. But I really wanna try to finish this one if I can, so I really appreciate the support of those who are reading this work and leaving kind words for me. It really helps keep me going. Thank you all so much. :D ))

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"Wait, WHAT?" Nosedive of course had immediately protested her announcement, quickly pulling her into another room to speak about it more privately, as saying the name of that horrid place by itself was something one not ought to do around children. "Babe, what the heck are you talking about, that place was horrible! I know you don't really want to go back there!"

"Of course I don't WANT to." She sighed back. "But we can't keep worrying about this. My parents are prejudiced people but they I can tell they don't really want to go through the bother of hurting anyone else. They're just too cowardly to resist other more evil and violent people when they demand it of them, and because Malfoys are bound not just by honor, but by magic to protect each other. It's why my parents couldn't kill me, even though part of them wanted to. And it's why they can't defy their captors when another Malfoy is in danger. And I suppose, it's why I feel compelled to help them now too, despite everything they put me through. Despite the fact that I will never call myself a Malfoy again, their blood still runs in my veins…"

"You don't owe them anything, babe…" Nosedive reminded her, even though he knew she already knew that.

She didn't acknowledge what he said at first, and instead continued after a pause, "…When I heard through the grapevine of the local magic folk years ago that their dark master had finally been defeated, I had hoped that they would use the opportunity to live the rest of their lives in relative peace. But I was naïve, and honestly… I've been a bit selfish. Because the truth of it is, Malfoys aren't just bound by magic to each other. They are bound to the Manor. That dark place is where the Malfoy family began, and it has always been in service to the darkest side. In fact I dare say that darkness is drawn to it… I think, in order to truly free my bloodline from the darkness of that place, it is the darkness of that place that I must defeat, and not just the evil people that are still squatting there, although they must be dealt with too, they won't be as much of a problem as the manor by far. And unfortunately, I don't think it will be as easy as striking a match and burning that mother down… I can tell, this will have to be an 'inside job'. In order to purify it, I'll have to do it from the inside-out…"

"Purify?" Nosedive repeated, confused. "Babe, I'm not even fully sure I know what that means, but I'm just not sure this is the best course of action... It's just, I know your parents aren't going to be thankful for it, and they sure as heck don't deserve it—"

Karen interrupted him, shaking her head resolutely. "But it's not ABOUT that, Dive! I KNOW they won't be grateful and that they don't deserve it. I HAVE to do it anyways! Because it's not FOR them, it's for me, and everyone else in the whole world worth doing it for, because, it's like—It's like there's a gigantic MESS on the floor! Just a gigantic pile of SHIT!"

Nosedive raised a brow at her as she ranted on, "It's like there's just this AWFUL and FOUL smelling thing, and everyone can smell it, but you're the only one capable of seeing it, touching it, picking it up! Of course you don't want to go near that sick, putrid thing, let alone touch it, but you're the only one who can CLEAN it! Wipe it's dirty smug self off the face of the planet and hopefully make something good come from it having to exist, THAT'S what I mean when I say I have to purify it!"

Nosedive opened his mouth, then paused and closed it. Recognition dawned on his features. "…Oh my god. That's exactly how I feel about the Saurians…" So he sighed, and shrugged his shoulders in resignation. "Well, alright then. You gotta do what you gotta do. But if that's the case, I'm coming with you."

"But—"

"Karen, you're my kitten. Not my sacrificial lamb." Dive insisted right away, with a playful wink and a smirk. "I'm not going to let you do this alone. I'm coming to help you, and that's that. In fact…"

Getting on his wrist-com, he called the rest of the team up. Each member's faces were projected on holographic screens, and they answered more or less at the same time. "Hey guys." Nosedive addressed them casually, as if he were about to ask if they wanted to go see a movie. "Listen – Karen's punk-ass kid brother just bit Cornelius' friend and turned him into a werewolf, while trying to kidnap Cornelius. So, she's decided she's gonna go deal with her parents once and for all by defeating the dark wizards that are blackmailing them and holding them hostage and purifying the darkness that possesses the family home, so yeah, I'm gonna go help her out with that. Any of you guys wanna come too?"

Karen sighed, resisting the urge to smack her forehead. "Nosedive, it's NOT that simple! The magic that protects the Manor won't let anyone without Malfoy blood come inside unless they've been given permission. So in all likelihood I'll have to go alone once we get to the door, anyways. And besides that, that's if we can even get past all the extremely complex locks at the front gate!"

Duke suddenly smiled slyly. "Whoa, whoa, whoa – Slow down there, sister. Extremely complex locks, you say? Ho ho ho~ You just earned the attention of Puckworld's greatest thief! Er, well, yanno – Ex-thief, of course…" He added, to make sure she knew he wasn't just coming along to try and steal some of her parent's gold. Not that it'd be a good idea anyways, for all sorts of reasons.

"If Karen's parents are as small as her, my muscle may be good for intimidation…" Grin added.

"Maybe – But they also make you a bigger target." Wildwing pointed out. "And since the fight takes place on their home turf, that already gives them an advantage. One that I think should be leveled out by bringing the Mask along, instead. Grin, you stay with the women to protect the children. I'll go with Duke and Nosedive to help Karen on her mission."

Karen's eye went big and misty. "Are you guys sure…?"

Wildwing nodded, "Just tell us what we need to know, and we'll help as much as we can."

Karen wiped her eyes on her palms, then nodded back at him. "Well… Like I said, there's a good chance I'll be the only one able to get past the door. I'll have to fight anyone or anything I encounter inside by myself. But it would be a great deal of relief to me to know that you'd be there to catch anyone or anything that might get past me and try to escape into the world, that clearly shouldn't be in it…"

Duke raised a brow at that. "Sheesh… Yer parents really got some skeletons in their closets, eh?"

Karen deadpanned back at him. "You WISH skeletons were all they have in their closets. As I mentioned, there are ghosts – But those are mostly harmless, despite how they may look. You can let those ones go, getting out of that house is probably the best thing that could happen to those spirits. But then there are the actual monsters. There's a dragon in the treasure room of course, that's standard in any wizarding mansion. I want nothing to do with the gold in those vaults, but I want to free the dragon. They are noble beasts and don't deserve to be treated as slaves. Even though they're extremely dangerous, they know how to get home once they're free and that's where they'll instinctively go. But then there' are the darker beasts…"

She opted to sit down for this one, "…I read some of the books I found lying around the mansion as a child. They scared me, but there wasn't much else to do when I wasn't working… They mentioned that the house was built with a vampire buried 'alive', beneath the foundation, and that that's where most of the protective power in the barrier around the house comes from. I believe he needs to be freed too, but that will be the trickiest part. He's been stuck down there for hundreds of years. He'll be absolutely ravenous and even though he might be grateful and not want to hurt the person who frees him, he won't be able to keep himself from biting them and draining every last drop. Or he might hold a grudge against the Malfoys and want to rip my apart despite freeing him... Aaaand he's buried in a crypt underneath a tree that flourishes from darkness just as well as normal trees flourish from the light, an evil, evil tree that will try to catch anything that tries to get near it and send it to a hellish void that exists within the hollow…"

"…Babe, you sure you're not biting off a lil more than you can chew here…?"

Karen hung her head. "No, I'm not sure. But I already told you, my love. I –have- to do this. My very blood is cursed, Nosedive. I thought I could escape it, but now I know that was just wishful thinking… To free my family, myself, and my future children and all their children, I must face this…"

She glared into an empty space against a wall. Seeing across miles, at the memory of the shadow-black mansion of her nightmares. "That house might still be standing by the time I'm done with it… But I'm going to break its spirit just like it tried to break mine…"

Wildwing nervously cleared his throat, not used to the timid but friendly woman being so deadly serious. "So, is there any other advice you have for us?"

She finally looked away from the wall and back to the team, but her expression was still just as solemn. "Yes. Be damned careful. And if you hear anyone say the word 'Avada', get the HELL out of the way before they say 'Kedavra'!"

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Karen took over a full week to prepare. She made several months worth of wolfsbane potion for Goob, and then gave him the contact information for another potion-maker, just in case the very worst were to pass…

But she was determined that that would NOT happen. She had two children at home depending on her to get back home, as did the men coming with her. She refused to even think of failing… Until they were finally standing at the gates of the Malfoy property…

Then she admittedly felt a shiver go up and down her spine, and she silently prayed, 'Oh gods… Goddesses, goddess of magic and creation or whoever else is listening… Please help me pull off this crazy plan!'

Not that it was much of a plan. 'Go in, kill anything that tries to kill you, free as many of the inhabitants as you can and then get the hell out' was more like a wish list, but it was what they had to work with…

Meanwhile, Duke was working on the locks with an impressive and somewhat scary grace. The Malfoys would never in a million years have believed that even the science from a technologically advanced race could be equal to even basic magic, but as the locks clicked open, the truth of the matter was revealed.

"Wow, that actually made me break a sweat~" Duke remarked, wiping his brow. "Just a lil one though."

The gates were barely protected at all, though. Since the Malfoy Manor was held in such infamy, nobody would dare go there unless they had specific reason to do so, so the real dark protections didn't start until you got to the front doors. And even then, any auror that did get that far with a warrant would be unable to go any further than the foyer, because her father Lucius' great grandfather had gotten the manor specially protected as a historical landmark.

So once they got there, Karen of course hesitated briefly before trying the door, expecting it to shock or curse her somehow. But to her amazement, the door actually opened for her, with no problem at all. Swinging the door open, she peered inside, carefully and quietly, at the dark and expansive foyer. At first she thought there was no one there, but then she realized with a start, that a pale and grungy-looking man, a complete stranger, was sleeping on one of the couches. She quickly cast a silencing spell and a paralyzing hex upon him, suspending him in his sleep.

She then took the first step inside. And nothing happened. Nothing at all. Exhaling in amazement, she looked back at her escorts, and whispered, "Nosedive Flashblade. Wildwing Flashblade. Duke L'Orange. I formally invite you all to come in…?"

Blinking in surprise at the sudden change of plans, the three Mighty Ducks entered the gigantic abode just as carefully as she had, blinking in surprise as absolutely no harm came to them.

"Sooo, what gives?" Nosedive inquired, shrugging apprehensively, as if he still sort of expected to be shocked by lightning or something for entering this weird, gothic-looking place…

"They never actually warded me against coming back inside…" Karen realized out loud, speaking more to her own self than to them. "Before I had magic, they never in a million years expected I would ever try to come back. And when they realized I had been given Cornelius's incredible power… They still didn't ward me from entering, because they secretly hoped I –would- return. They knew they only had one –slim- chance at getting away… Me. They still hate me, but… They need me. And they know it…"

"Do we?"

Karen gasped, and instinctively brought her wand towards the glimmer that had attracted her eyes. A chameleon spell had just disappeared, and her brother Draco now stood in front of the tapestry of his image that he had been hiding in front of. A clever ruse, as the blending in like a chameleon instead of trying to make himself invisible had fooled even Wildwing and the Mask for a moment.

"Draco." She whispered, her lips hung open, just in case a curse needed to be quickly uttered next.

Draco took note of this. He might be foolhardy at times, plenty of times in fact. But if there was one thing he was a genius at, it was self-preservation. "Madonna... Or whatever it is mother said you're calling yourself now – Krystal, Kandy…?" He must have been thinking of one of the favorite sweets he missed.

"Karen." She corrected him, though she didn't even care what he called her. She planned to put him out of sight and out of mind as quickly as possible. But for just right now, she needed him to trust her enough not to go snitching on her. And she was pretty sure how to go about that… "Where's mother and father? What did… 'They' do to them?" She didn't have to ask if they were alive, at least. They'd have no leverage over Draco if they were dead.

He got sour over that. Sour, but scared enough to answer honestly. "They're in the dungeons…"

She could see that now. And they weren't just in any dungeon… They were in the one they had made her stay in as a child. It was the only dungeon furnished with a bed, after all, so of course the Malfoy's would insist upon that at least or offer no compliance, as they would rather die quickly than cold on the floor… But of course, she was sure the irony couldn't have escaped them, just as it would never leave her when she wanted something to smile about.

Now, however, was the wrong time to smirk about it, and because she hadn't been able to resist doing so, Draco began to snarl at her. "And give me ONE good reason why I shouldn't let them throw you and these FREAKS you've brought with you in one of the less accommodating cells, or worse! You give me one good reason not to do that, SQUIB!"

Draco assumed that she would answer his demand by promising to protect him and the family. He couldn't have been more wrong.

"…Because I am not a 'squib' anymore, Draco…" Karen answered in a flat, solemn hush, and in that instant, her silver eyes began to glow with a fierce golden light. Gold, with a tinge of ruby-red. She hadn't been allowed to be sorted at Hogwarts, but it became quite clear in this moment to her brother what she would have been.

But what was she now? She confirmed for him in her next statement, "In fact... I am not Karen right now either..."

Draco sucked in a gasp at the strange new echoing voice, but could utter no more than that, not yet, not until she ALLOWED him to. He could only stumble back as she advanced one step at a time, until his back hit a wall and she demanded of him, "Who am I, Draco? Tell them. What is my name?"

Now he could speak, being forced to say the words she wanted. "He-Hecate!"

Hecate. Goddess of crossroads and entrance-ways, light and magic. Goddess of poison and plants, of ghosts and necromancy. Goddess of all witchcraft itself.

"And what have I come to do…"

"…T-To p-p-punish all those who have c-committed the Unforgiveable!"

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	9. Chapter 9

(( Well this one turned out a little longer at least. XP Enjoy! ))

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Draco whimpered, dumbfounded by the power and the righteous fury being directed at him, and the fact that, although he would bolt in an instant if he could, he was being forced to continue staring at her. Listening to her.

"Luckily for you…" She began again after a short pause, to give him a few moments where his fate was uncertain before continuing to address him. "What mortals consider to be Unforgiveable is different than what the Gods consider to be Unforgiveable… To a mortal, possessing your body like this without permission is indeed unforgiveable, as is torturing them with pain, as you and your mother have both used your magic to do… But unlike your father, you have never used the Killing Curse. And it is that, the unjustified snuffing of the gift of life that which is otherwise only for the gods to decide when to begin and end, which is Unforgiveable to us… And even then we are merciful. But not to those who begin to think of themselves as more like gods than men..."

The goddess glared at him heavily, giving his neck a short invisible squeeze before letting him go. "This is the last time you will be spared. You are a man now, not a boy. You know right from wrong. Now act like it!" It was the goddess speaking those last words, but they certainly also came from Karen.

She didn't have to explain to him all the many reasons why all he'd done so far was immoral or why he needed to change, as every realization exploded in his own mind, and all the guilt that accompanied it was almost painful enough to be considered an emotional Crutiatus. He would never be able to make a selfish, hurtful act again without feeling that same pain in his chest. And as much as he would damn the pain, he would forever be grateful for it.

Clutching his heart, he then barreled past her, tears streaming down his face as he ran from the home. Now that she was there to do what she came to do, he could leave her to it…

The goddess then gave Karen back part of her sight and control, and she looked down at the floor, where a spell would reveal the way down. "The rest of the dark wizards and witches are deep in the dungeons currently. They sometimes sleep in the upstairs bedrooms, but most of the time, they go down there, to feed and foster the evil things there and enjoy their sick games and dark rituals… So that's where I have to go…"

Nosedive was the first to snap out of his shock, "Uh – Wait, hold on. You mean 'we', right?"

Karen looked back at him, her eyes going back to silver for a moment. "No, my love. I – I still need you to stay up here and make sure nothing gets out that isn't supposed to, I'm the one that needs to—"

"NO! You NEED to let me help you!" Nosedive began to fiercely insist, almost about to take a step towards her, until his brother laid a strong grasp on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Dive. I'll go with her. You stay here with Duke and shoot down any dark wizards or nasty-looking monsters that might get past us. The Mask will help her get through all the darkness down there. And I'll get her back up safe and sound. I promise, baby bro."

"But—" Nosedive was about to protest again, but before he could finished, a large red square appeared on the floor in front of them, and the entire section of the floor lifted up, revealing a set of dark stone stairs that led deep down into pitch blackness. And from that blackness, two young men (almost still boys, like Draco) in dark robes began to emerge, their wands drawn, but with no confidence in their frightened eyes.

"No time, baby bro! Cover for us!" Wildwing ordered, putting his energy shield out in front of himself and Karen as he rushed forward. Between the shield, Karen's curses and the barrage of pucks, they were easily able to distract the wizards long enough to strong-arm their way past them, and when the wizards tried to follow them, Duke and Nosedive quickly captured them and dragged them back to the foyer, where their wands were broken and they were tied up and put into a closet for safe-keeping

By then, Wildwing and Karen were long gone, so Nosedive had no choice but to do as they requested and stay put upstairs…

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"Boy, it is seriously dark down here…" Wildwing mentioned once they finally reached the bottom of the rather long stairway. "Like, not normal-dark... Even with the Mask its hard to see…"

Once upon a time a torch might have helped you down here, but now the darkness was so great, even with stronger magic and/or technology to help you, the darkness reigned. Still, Wildwing tried to be a true team captain for her. "How are you holding up…?"

Karen's eyes were back to glowing gold, practically the only part of her that could be seen in the suffocating darkness, besides her white-blonde hair. But then, realizing that it would be a liability, she used her magic to dye it and her clothes, as well as Wildwing's clothes and feathers, temporarily black. "I'm okay… It helps to have a goddess magically enhancing your eyesight, after all. But I'm glad to have a second pair of eyes to watch my back down here, too…"

He nodded, and they took a few more steps forward. But before they reached the door at the end of the hall that would lead to the dungeons, Karen stopped, and put a hand on her captain's shoulder. "Wildwing… I just want you to know something before we go on. I want you to know how grateful I am for your help down here. I… I wish I had a brother like you…" She admitted.

Wildwing patted her firmly on the back, not hesitating a second before replying, "You do."

She smiled gratefully at him, then took a deep breath as she pointed the wand at the door, and spelled it open.

For a moment, the long row of cell doors brought back the sickest wave of nostalgia in her, almost so powerful as to give her a slight case of vertigo. She swayed, almost taking a step back. But Wildwing's hand on her back steeled her nerve. She took another breath, and this time she felt her courage come to her.

Then a face appeared at the peek-hole behind one of the nearest dungeon doors. Her mother's. "So… You've come back…" She didn't sound all that mad, though. She sounded as if she could hardly believe it.

Karen didn't answer her. Mainly because Karen wasn't in charge anymore. Hecate raised her wand-arm and dispelled the powerful locks on the door, then kept her wand at the ready in front of her as the door swung open. Seeing this move, Narcissa's eyes went wide and she put her hands up, backing away. It did her no good, however, as her feet suddenly betrayed her and stopped moving in reverse, and instead began to move forward, until Karen's wand was pointed right at her throat.

The goddess again let it stay there for a few seconds, to strike the fear of mortality and the uncertainty of fate in her soul. To really let the scent of that humble pie waft under her nose. "…Go. Find your son. Leave this place and all within it to me. You can come back when I'm done."

Lucius, who like Narcissa had been stripped of his wand, was waiting in shock a few steps behind her. He had of course been tempted to run and leave his wife behind, but found himself unable to do so, his feet practically glued to the floor.

Narcissa, at least, showed a bit more consideration and loyalty than that, as she stood her ground just long enough to look back at him, and then asked of her possessed daughter, "You're not going to kill him, right? You wouldn't kill your own father…?"

Golden eyes glared at her. "Suddenly he's a father to me now?" She made a noise of disgust in the back of her throat. "Don't worry… Death would be too quick and merciful for him. But you should still consider yourself lucky." She then focused her glare upon her father. "Be assured – Your fate is nothing compared to what lies in wait for the rest of the dark worshippers in this temple of hate…"

Not wanting to see what she was going to do to him, Narcissa finally ran from the room. A Malfoy mother's loyalty always lied first with fate of the children before her husband, so she was completely within her right both morally and magically to leave him there for Draco's sake.

Lucius clearly still felt bitter about it, though. He tried to look tough, but he couldn't hide the fact that he was shaking like a leaf. "S-So… What ARE you going to d-do to me, then? Disfigure me? Make me look like one of your freaky new friends?"

"I would never bestow such an honor upon you." She seethed back. "But if you really want to know what I plan to do with you, I'll tell you. I want you to feel even just a shred of the pain and helplessness you caused me to feel…"

At first he thought she was going to beat him, take her frustrations out upon his skin. But the real truth was soon revealed, and it was indeed much, much worse than he could have ever imagined.

"Magic, I will you…" Hecate commanded with Karen's voice. "Let me purify you, and then find a more deserving vessel to call your home. Leave this wicked wretch behind…"

Lucius' eyes went wide, and he choked out, "N-NO!" But it was already too late. Wisps of dark energy began to leave his body, like shadows seeping from his skin, and as they swirled around Karen, they began to turn a milky, pearly white.

Once every trace of his darkness had been cleansed from the magic, it shot up through the roof of the dungeons and far beyond, never to be seen by them again.

Weak and shaking worse than he ever had in his life, Lucius demanded, "W-What… What have you done to my MAGIC?!"

"You have none." Karen replied serenely, showing no pity for him. "The magic has been cleansed of your dark influence, and sent to a new home, within the body of a muggle-born baby. I am sure he will use the gift you squandered much more wisely and compassionately."

"YOU—"

All sort of insults were sure to follow, but Karen had no desire to hear any of it. She spelled his mouth shut, then turned her back on him without care. She simply reminded him, "You really should just leave now. I could still kill you. And if you don't go soon, the dragon or one of the vengeful spirits I'm about to free might just finish the job for me anyways…"

Lucius was of course infuriated with her, but he knew he could do nothing to her, and that it would be foolish to stay if she was really going to do what she claimed. Not that the prospect of facing his wife like this was in the least bit tempting, either. Narcissa was doubly-lucky not to have shared his fate, but then, having to deal with being bound to a squib-husband would surely shame and embarrass her for the rest of her life, as divorces were not allowed in the Malfoy family. When you married a Malfoy, you really meant it when you said 'Til death do us part'…

Nearly every Malfoy in the history of their lineage had regretted entering the marriage pact. But none had ever regretted it as much as Narcissa would come to.

As soon as her father ran past them and up the stairs, Karen turned to Wildwing, to warn him one last time of the dangers ahead, "Wildwing… The torture rooms are just beyond here, before we get to the treasure rooms and then the… 'Corridor of Dark Curiosities', as my ancestors dubbed it. What you will see beyond here will probably literally haunt you… Are you sure you want to follow me any further? I'll probably be fine, with the goddess helping me…"

She was lying. Hecate's magic was enhancing her own tenfold, but her body was still just as mortal as it had always been. It didn't take the Mask for Wildwing to see that, because unlike her ancestors, Karen had never been an especially good liar.

"We can commiserate over what we have to see after we've actually seen it. For now, let's just get this over with." Wildwing answered, and headed out the door, signaling that that was that.

She nodded at his instructions, at last at peace with it.

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Meanwhile, outside, Lucius ran out of the 'basement', and had a stop and stare at the human and the alien duck in his foyer, both wearing the same kind of armor and donning the same weapons. Narcissa had simply run past them without meeting their eyes, wary of their puck-shooters. But Lucius just had to give them a glare.

So both of them raised their weapons and pointed them right at him. "What." Nosedive demanded, daring him to say something. Anything.

He wisely decided to just get the hell out and let them deal with the dragon soon to come, especially since he had no magic. But just before going out the door, he had to go and mutter, "Freaks!"

Nosedive waited until he got halfway down the courtyard, then he ran to the doorway and yelled back at him, "HEY! At least I don't torture my own kids you sick wizard-nazi asshole! Your daughter is totally awesome and fuck you for being a dick to her!"

Then he shot him in the ass with a puck just for good measure.

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At the end of the dungeons was a very large, heavy door. Even with magic to help disarm the alarm, unlock, and pull open the door, it was a trial for her to get barely an inch at a time to open for her, until Wildwing lent her his strength.

She quickly whispered her thanks when they'd finally opened it all the way, and very carefully went beyond. It didn't look any darker, but it very certainly –felt- a lot more so. And then, after barely the third step inside, a sharp, hellish scream sounded off just barely beyond them. A woman's scream.

"Karen!" Wildwing knew it wasn't her, but it made him worry for her, so he reached out for her. But just as he did so, she started to run towards the sound of the screaming woman. She couldn't just stand there while someone was being tortured.

But by the time she got to the door the screams were coming from, and blasted it down, it was already too late. The screams turned to stomach-churning gurgles, as the inhuman beast that stood over her had just torn her throat out. She bled out in seconds.

Fenrir Greyback. She had heard of him, of course. Her father used to promise to give her over to him if she misbehaved. She had heard that he'd been arrested after the Battle of Hogwarts. But he had apparently escaped. After all, Fenrir wasn't the kind of beast you could just lock up. He was the kind of beast you had to put down…

His sins hung around in the air, like a mist of something sticky and sick. The half a dozen other dark wizards standing around him were barely an afterthought. The savage beast. The child-killer. That's who she was really here for…

The rest of his lackeys could at least be put to good use. Recycled. They would be weak and worthless cowards without their magic, and another human being could be given the chance to use that magic for good. Then without their magic, they would be easy for aurors to bring to justice. But Greyback…

He could not be cleansed. He needed to be eradicated.

He snarled out a smile, and his entire eyeballs went black. "Want to join the party, little girl? A seat just opened up~" He told her, shoving the body of the woman off the table and onto the floor without a single care.

The other wizards had all just pulled out their wands. Karen's eyes now glowed completely over with gold. She merely beckoned with her fingers and whispered, "Come." And all the magic from all six witches and wizards left their bodies on the spot, swirled around Karen's body, becoming white, before shooting back out from her, and through their respective former owners. The dark magic users all fell down simultaneously, unconscious, and their magic passed beyond them, off towards their new homes.

Fenrir lunged at her, while he assumed she was distracted with others. She stepped out of the way at the last moment, with such grace and swiftness that it caused the werewolf to stumble over the thin air that he had expected to be filled by flesh and blood. And considering the werewolf's heightened senses, that was saying something.

He then fell right onto Wildwing's waiting force-field/shield, getting a powerful shock from contact with it before Wildwing shoved him to the side and behind him, sending him stumbling across the hall until he hit his back against the opposite wall.

He recovered quickly, and then he snarled at them. "…Catch me if you can." He suddenly announced, before sprinting off down the hall and towards the darkest innards of the manor.

Wildwing let him go for the time being, and focused instead on Karen. "Are you…" He was about to say 'okay', but Karen had gone over to the side of the woman's bloody body, knelt down beside her, and closed her lifeless eyes for her. He rightfully decided then not to finish the sentence, especially not after the dead woman's spirit rose right from her body.

Karen stared up at the spirit, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry I didn't get to you in time… But, I promise…"

The specter's eyes locked onto her own. "I promise… You'll be the last ghost to roam these halls…"

The spirit slowly and sadly nodded, and began to rise up, out of the house and far beyond. Very soon after, dozens upon dozens of ghosts, hundreds of them probably, began to manifest and rise up from the house. As they parted past Karen, some of them, those who had haunted and terrified her as a girl, whispered to her, and she whispered right back to them, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

Once they had all left, Karen's gentle weeping soon ceased. The rest would have to wait for later. There was still much more to do…

Wildwing waited patiently for her, and when she reached him and headed down the corridor, he gave her a light pat on the back. "You're doing great. Just… Keep moving forward."

She couldn't help but give him a small smile over the shoulder for that. It was both an encouragement, but also, a reminder. Of what she was fighting for, and what she had to look forward to living for after the fight was finally over.

When they reached the next set of doors, Karen at first signaled for Wildwing to stop and wait. Then, using magic, she made the heavy, enforced doors invisible from their side, so that they could look in, but nothing from the other side could see them.

The treasure room was just beyond, but the piles of gold within it were much, much smaller than Karen imagined they'd be. She just couldn't see them giving her even a single coin if this was all they had. Voldemort and Greyback must have been spending it freely for them. No wonder her mother had been so concerned about getting the gold she had loaned her back.

Of course, after all this was through, Karen was definitely going to be considering them even-stevens.

So since the mountains of gold she'd been told about in her youth were now barely even hills, it didn't take long to find the dragon. It was sleeping on the largest mound of gold. Apparently it hadn't even bothered to get up when Fenrir passed by. It had long since been trained not to mess with that much darker creature.

They would not be so lucky if they tried to repeat him. But they were at least lucky enough that, in his hurry, the werewolf had left behind the Pavlovian bell they would need to get the dragon to obey.

"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus…" Karen whispered ironically to herself, before making the doors disappear for good, and stepping into the room.

The dragon immediately began to stir, and hiss in annoyance. Its eyes were milky with blindness but it could clearly still 'see', well enough at least with it's hearing, smelling, and magical aura. So Karen quickly reached for the bell, and hesitantly, she rang it. Just once.

The creature immediately flinched and stepped around them, going to cower in another corner. At Wildwing's confusion, Karen explained. "It's been trained to expect harsh punishment if it doesn't obey the sound of the bell… So listen… I'm going to shrink the dragon down just a little, just enough to make him small enough to get out of the house. But I'll need you to lead him out the rest of the way using the bell, or else it might get confused and get stuck somewhere, and accidentally burn the whole place down. And I know you think I'm just trying to get rid of you before we get to the darkest part of the manor…" She acknowledged. "And well… I am. But I still really need you to do this, too. When I use my magic on the dragon it will think it's being attacked, and will panic. I need you to lead it out while I go after Fenrir, before he uses one of the cursed objects beyond here to enhance his strength. It'll take him a while to get past the protective charms, but we still don't have much time. Since my father and the rest of the Malfoys technically abandoned the Manor, it very well might be looking for a new master. I can't let it become Fenrir..."

Hesitantly, Wildwing nodded, just once. "I'll do it… But as soon as the dragon is out, I'm coming back for you." He swore.

She smiled, and nodded back. Then she handed him the bell, and pointed her wand at the great, scaly beast. "Reducio!"

The poor creature shrieked in alarm. Magic had never been used for its benefit before, so it believed that, despite its compliance and obedience, it was still being attacked. Karen tried to sooth it with a touch of healing magic, closing up any open wounds it had, and curing the blindness in at least one eye before she put she wand away, but it was still confused, roaring and thrashing. "Now, Wildwing! Cover for me!"

While she ran off towards the entrance to the final corridor, Wildwing got in front of her and behind the dragon, ringing the bell to distract it from the confusion that Karen's magic had caused it. Heading towards the nearest exit, the dragon scrambled to get away from the sound it found so horrible, and Wildwing chased after it, to keep it going where it was supposed to.

Though it was shrunk down to half its usual size, it was still more than twice as big as a komodo dragon, and it was angry and scared and desperate. There were at least three times where the dragon turned back and tried to take a snap or a swipe at the Puckling leader, but Wildwing was careful to jump back every time it did, and shake the bell extra aggressively while he fired a puck at it. "Back! Keep going you overgrown lizard! I don't want to hurt you, but I'm not gonna die at the hands of ANY reptile!"

When it finally got to the stairway that led out of the lower level, Wildwing shouted up at those waiting above, "Duke, Dive! Get out of the way!"

They managed to do so just in time, jumping back to either sides of the room as the dragon instinctively rushed towards the source of warmth and light. It hadn't seen either since it was barely more than an adolescent…

Scratching its way past the door frame, its size immediately returned to it as soon as it made it outside, and with a rush of strength and energy, it ran down the courtyard, jumped on top of the gate, and then leaped into the air, flapping its weakened wings wildly. It almost fell back down to the ground several times, but it finally managed to get the air underneath it, and it let out a mournfully triumphant cry of freedom as it glided beyond the horizon, never to be seen by human eyes again.

The three Mighty Ducks had to admit, it was a pretty cool sight to see.

The human member was the first to snap out of it, though. "Wing! Where's Karen?"

As soon as he'd said his name, Wildwing had already started running back down into the dungeons. "She went ahead! She had to! I'll bring her back now!"

Nosedive cursed, and stood at the edge of the stairway. He wanted so badly to go after them, but it was so dark down there, he wouldn't be able to see his hand in front of his face, let alone be able to help. He'd only get in the way. All he could do was wait, and hope, and pray to all his goddesses to help them…

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Karen had actually never been any further than the treasure room before, and even that was only once, back when she was very little. After she was discovered to be a squib she had never gone past the dungeons, not that she wanted to. But if the treasure room had still contained all its mountains of gold and other precious items, she might have gotten lost before she even made it to the doors to the final chamber.

But even before stepping up to the final door, let alone past it, she began to feel like a lost little child again. Just getting near it had her feeling like a dementor was near. She felt like she did when she realized that she had no magic. She felt like she did after she learned her parents hated her. She felt like she did after she had been raped…

She suddenly froze, then shuddered. She didn't want to go on…

But then a voice spoke to her, not just from within her possessed mind, but from within her heart. "Keep moving forward, Karen. Don't let their darkness overshadow your light…"

She thought about her lover, and her children, of course. She thought about how they'd have fun going out to dinner, and to sport games and arcades, and how everyone just assumed that Cornelius was Nosedive's son. How they never even questioned it. She remembered how one waitress once even went on about how much Cornelius looked just like Nosedive. She finally brought a smile back to her face, thinking about how they had both beamed with pride when they heard that… And she thought about Wildwing, and the rest of the team. How they accepted her the way she had always wished her own family had...

She had reached the door without realizing she had even begun walking again. Keep moving forward. That's all she had to do before she could finally go back to where she belonged…

She opened the door. It should have been blacker than the darkest pitch black, but she could see everything clearly...

That might have been because her whole body was glowing. Just like it did after making love to her husband… And that thought of course only caused her to glow brighter.

The first door on the left was a huge, vault-like door. It would be impossible to open without magic, not that Karen even wanted to. She already knew Fenrir wasn't in there. In fact, that room was filled entirely with seawater, because that was where the Malfoy's kept the serpentine sea-monster they and their ancestors kept as a rare aquarium pet. They did not feed it nearly enough nowadays, but it had been well-fed enough during Voldemort's reign to keep it alive until now. They would put muggles in there with air bubbles around their heads, so they didn't die first from drowning. They would watch through peepholes as the poor people realized with terror where they were, and what was in there with them. The monster was always extra agitated when they used light to expose it to it's victims...

Putting her hand on the door, Karen willed a portal to open up in the middle of the room, and then she continued on her way as the loud, low toilet-flushing sound behind her let her know that the creature would soon be sent home, to the darkest depths of the ocean.

There was a gigantic flowering man-eating fly trap under an artificial moon that it bloomed under in the next room, she sent that to live deep within the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, since the sapling had originally been taken from there anyway. It would be very glad to see the real moon again.

But just as soon as she'd done that, a great crash sounded off from the next room. It seemed that Fenrir had gotten fed up of trying to break the protective charms around the cursed crystal wolf statue, which would have brought the thing to life, and at his command. But since the dog didn't want to obey him, he had shattered it instead...

Before he also went on to wreak havoc on the priceless diamond hawk in the room across the hall, Karen stood to meet him outside of the room he was in. He gave her a sneer at first, then he turned it into a demonic grin. "I'm really going to enjoy flaying the flesh from your bones…"

"Not as much as I'm going to enjoy this…"

Out of the tip of her wand, Karen produced a golden rope, searing hot and malleable. Using the wand as the base of a whip, she flicked her wrist, and the end of the rope twisted itself into an unbreakable lasso. She flicked it again, and this time it went flying. She twirled her wrist in a circle several times, and the rope began to encircle the werewolf's broad form. He began to brace himself, puffing out his chest and expanding his muscles so that he could break the chain as soon as the silly girl tried to wrap it around his chest.

But that's not what she did.

Instead of shrinking around his chest, it moved upwards at the last second, and wrapped around his neck instead. And in that second, the gold became silver, which weakened the werewolf considerably. A clever ruse, it burned him, and choked him, sapping out his superhuman strength in a split second. He tried to claw at it, but it was stronger than diamond, whilst he was currently weaker than a kitten. He had no reason to fear the gold and so he came to her. Now that she revealed her silver, he wished he had run.

With ease, Karen began to drag him down the corridor, towards the last door at the end of the long, imposing hall.

The werewolf thrashed on the ground, incredulous at how this little maid, like so many of the others he had viciously torn apart, could be so strong. In desperation, he screamed at her, "YOU'LL NEVER HOLD ME FOR LONG! I'LL GET AWAY, JUST LIKE I DID LAST TIME! I'LL TEAR YOU APART FOR THIS!"

She just continued to drag him along, cool as a cucumber. "Keep screaming, Greyback. I'm sure it's like dinner music for the tree…"

A sick dread settled in Fenrir's stomach. He hadn't felt such fear since he was a young man, when he had been mauled by the werewolf that turned him. "W-What-?! YOU BITCH! DON'T YOU DARE!"

She smirked over her shoulder, not bothering to hide the wicked pleasure on her face. Though it was more Hecate's than Karen's, the mortal woman certainly didn't feel bad at all doing this to him. "You had your last meal, murderer. Now the Demon Tree is going to get its last meal, too..."

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	10. Chapter 10

(( Oh man, I can't believe I've written ten whole chapters of this, lmao... ))

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In desperation Fenrir tried to charge at her instead of pulling away, but every time he tried to she would wrench the chain with an inhuman strength, and send him smashing and crashing against the walls, ceiling and floor. After three or four of those, he wasn't putting up much of a fight anymore…

Clawing his nails at the floor the last steps of the way, he lost all semblance of his former 'humanity' and simply began to howl. Then Karen opened the door to the Demon Tree, and without another thought for him, she yanked the chain ferociously, with all her magically enhanced might, and his limp body was sent flying into the room.

After the very painful landing, he didn't look behind him. He instinctively tried to get up and run from what he knew was behind him. But, addled from hitting his head on the way down, he had barely made it to his feet before a black, leafless branch, sharp as a spear, impaled him through the middle of his chest. He gurgled the way his last victim had gurgled, blood coming out of his mouth, as several more thorny branches wrapped around his body, dragging it into the dead black hollow, wide and gaping and always starving.

Karen knew she had to act on the spot. She had to make her break for it while the tree was distracted with Fenrir, or else she would certainly be next on the menu…

So while the werewolf was being pulled into the void, a place of endless pain and darkness, Karen rushed into the room, using her magic to spell open a trap door in front of the tree. Though they were distracted, a few spare branches still tried to get to her, and almost made it too. But she jumped down into the pit below just in the nick of time, the branches swiping at where she used to be. They reached into the trap door after her, but the fall was too far for the branches to reach her.

For just a split second, Karen realized this was a really, really stupid idea. She had no idea how far the fall down was before she made the 'leap of faith', but thankfully her faith was rewarded, and the goddess slowed her fall and gently floated her to the ground the last few feet of the hundred or so that she had fallen.

The floor at the bottom was solid, but just barely. It was muddy, going halfway up her shoes every time she took a step. And every once in a while, she would step on something that would crunch or tree roots wouldn't go down that far, so presumably it could only be the discarded human bones of various victims... She tried not to think about it too much, though. At least they weren't trying to grab her...

It was the darkest room in the manor by far. Even with her light guiding her, she could barely see more than a few feet in front of her at any time. She trudged on, one slow, sticky step at a time, until she spotted a large box ahead of her. She knew instinctively, that it was what she had been looking for…

It was a plain stone box, with no markings, no inscription, no decorations of any kind. Not even any dead flowers. No Malfoy would literally be caught dead in such a tomb. It was clear, whoever this person was, the Malfoys had hated him deeply. So, unfortunately, that probably meant that he was at least a half-decent or possibly even a good person…

Hesitating just a second, she put her hands on the lid of the box. But before she even tried to make it budge, a voice whispered to her from within it. "Pure hearted fool… I'll rip that heart right from your chest if you're stupid enough to free me…"

Yes, most likely a good person. He wouldn't have warned her if he wasn't…

She did stop, though. "…You've been down here such an awful long time. You probably haven't spoken to another human being since you were imprisoned here, have you?"

"…You're even stupider than I thought. I'm a vampire. I haven't spoken to 'another human being' since before I was turned…" He muttered back to her incredulously. "But yes, you are the first being I've spoken to in all the ages I've been trapped here… Your voice… It's melodious, but… It's also really annoying! You're making me gnaw with hunger! Stupid mortal! Either leave me or feed me! I don't have the strength to open this crypt but I swear if you do, I will tear you apart and feast on every inch of you! I'll bite you all over!" By this point, he sounded more comically desperate than anything. He really didn't want to hurt her… This was clearly not someone who had chosen to become a vampire. This was not someone who had ever sought out to feast on their fellow man. "So just leave me already, or I swear I'll kill you!"

"…I don't think you will." She finally mumbled, deep in thought.

"…And what makes you think something as nonsensical as that." He deadpanned back at her.

Smoothing her hands over the coffin, his history, his past, and his most important memories in life, played before her mind. He… Wasn't even a man. He was seventeen when he had been changed, against his will. He was a Malfoy. They had been ashamed of him, so they trapped him down here, where he could never shame them or the family name again, and where he could be of some use to the family by powering the manor. And they had delighted in doing it to him, because his good heart had long been an embarrassment to their budding dark reputation…

Finally, she whispered back to him. "…Because. I can give you something much more tempting than my flesh or blood. Even more tempting than your freedom…"

Struck silent, the vampire listened for her next words, hardly able to believe them even before he had heard them. But it was the goddess speaking now, so he had to believe her, at least. "Adrien… I can give you back your soul."

No vampire in history had ever even dreamed of it, let alone realized it.

"…Oh, poor lamb…" He finally cooed back to her, as if he pitied her. Not the goddess of course, but the human vessel carrying her. "Do you even have any idea what will happen if you do that? Do you even have any idea what that immortal has already done to you…?"

Well, now she did…

"It doesn't matter…" Karen answered, scared but resolute. "Will you accept this deal or not?"

"…You'll never get out the same way you came in…" The ancient Malfoy mused. "But… I suppose if you're willing to take all the risks, it would be ungrateful not to let you finish what you came here to do. So… Yes. I accept."

Hecate wasted no more time. The poor boy had already been down there more than long enough, after all.

Using magic, the stone lid to his tomb was tossed aside like a mere pebble, and even in the eternal and all-enveloping darkness, she could see his face. Pale and youthful, but with blind eyes. And not from the dark. He had been blinded in life, before the transformation. Otherwise the vampirism would have heightened his eyesight. The condition could not, however, bring back what had already passed into the world of the dead.

They had been able to torture him like that… Because it was his magic that not only protected the inhabitants of the house from outsiders, but that which protected them from themselves. He didn't want anyone else born to his family to go through what he had gone through. All this time that he had suffered, he had done so telling himself there was a purpose to it. If he hadn't, he would have long gone insane…

Though blind, his milky eyes focused on her. He grimaced, his facial muscles tense. His hands tried to grab at her of their own accord, but then at the last second, just before his fingers were about to grab her hair to drag her down, he stopped himself. Through an astounding display of will and self-control, he forced his shaking hands to return to his form, grabbing his own throat and stomach instead.

"The poor boy…" Karen sobbed at the sight of him. "Isn't there anything I can do for him…?"

Hecate supplied the answer in her mind. "You can only make it quicker for him…"

As soon as that thought popped into her mind, her eyes glanced down at the floor beside the tomb and found the ancient iron stake and hammer, left there hundreds of years ago by the people who had imprisoned him there. Hesitating only briefly, she bent down and picked it up.

She knew that he was hurting, more than most people would ever know. But she had to say something to him before she did what she had to. "You… You were very brave! I owe you my life! Thank you! And, I'm sorry-!"

Mustering up all that she had within her, she lined up the heavy iron stake just above his heart, and then, she brought the hammer down upon it decisively, ending his misery in one fell swoop.

It was over in an instant for him, and a feint wisp of light was carried on the last exhale of his body. It kept rising, bound for the sky and beyond.

But she wasn't out of the woods yet.

When she had pierced his heart, she jumped back in alarm, as a horrible and painfully loud 'shriek', like a violin being played by a sadomasochist, filled her ears from all directions. It was the tree. Without the boy there acting as its battery, it was quickly dying…

It seemed she had bigger worries, however. As soon as she had pierced his heart, a thick liquid, a greenish-reddish-brownish-black in color, began to seep from the wound. With each second more and more of the nastiness pooled out, more than one would ever think it possible for a single body to contain, and it wouldn't stop.

The coffin became full in seconds, and then it began to overflow. The muck seemed to increase exponentially, and soon the stream of noxious fluid became like a rushing river. A shot of dread seized her heart as the disgusting sticky liquid soon covered her feet, and didn't stop rising.

She was just starting to panic, realizing that she wouldn't be able to swim in the syrupy sickness, and that she might possibly drown in it, choke on it – Until suddenly, a loud crackling noise sounded off from directly above her, and only a few feet from where she stood, a long, limp root fell down. The tree was dead. It was starting to wither.

Acting fast, she waded over to the shriveling tree root, and began to climb it. The viscous liquid continued to rise, following her as she ascended as fast as she could. Sometimes it seemed as if the sea of darkness was even trying to swipe at her feet, but she didn't dare look down to confirm it. In her head, she refused to let any other thought enter her mind except for the mantra that kept her going. 'Just keep moving forward. Keep moving forward. Keep moving-!'

When she reached the top, she jumped to the nearby trap door, still open. She barely managed to catch hold of the edges, madly clawing her way up and out of it.

At that point, Wildwing was just arriving at that final door. Karen saw him, and began to run for him, while the tar-like substance shot up from the final basement, following her in the form of a treacherous, sentient wave, hell-bent on drowning her in the darkness that had followed her all her life...

She held her hand out for him to take. She thought, if she could just make it to him, if he would just take her hand, they would make it out of here…

But that's not what Wildwing saw, because to him, it wasn't Karen who was running after him. Karen believed herself to be, and saw herself as, a glowing figure of light. But the reality was, she was seeing through the smallest part of her, her good and pure soul. To even be able to enter this last room, one had to be a being of pure darkness. Even Lucius had never been able to enter this final room, it had only been occupied by the likes of Greyback and Voldemort himself. In order to let her enter and do what she had to do, Hecate had secretly been forced to corrupt her entire body.

The essence of Karen's spirit was where she had been residing since she entered the last room. Like a single speck of gold in a body-shaped charcoal prison.

So imagine how Wildwing felt initially, when instead of Karen, a creature like a featureless mannequin made of coal clawed its way out of a hole in the floor, followed by a tidal wave of tar. Stretching out a hand for him as it ran straight for him…

A testament to his courage, he refused to abandon his brother's love, and put his puck shooter up to nail the creature instead of turning heel and running from the monstrosity, as the vast majority of sane people would do.

He lined up the scope at the head. He put the settings at 'kill' instead of 'stun'…

The creature opened its toothless black mouth. But instead of some hellish shriek or roar, as Wildwing was expecting, Karen's voice emerged. Hollow and echoing, but unmistakably hers and hers alone. "Wildwing, please, help me! Take my hand-!"

He hesitated only the briefest fraction of a second, before throwing the weapon aside, and thrusting his hand out for her to take. He somehow just felt that he couldn't enter past the threshold even if he wanted to, but he waited in his spot for her to make it to him, no matter how much he wanted to bolt from the sea of sickness following her.

She reached him, grabbed his hand, their fingers meeting at the doorframe. He pulled her over the threshold, and as he did, like actual charcoal, the blackness her body was made of crumbled away, revealing the golden spirit within. But for her hand, her form was, for that second, nothing but a specter. Only the hand that Wildwing had grabbed retained its solid form, and like Wildwing's feathered hand, it was pure white.

In fact, his pure white color seemed to spread all over her body as he pulled her over to him, but he didn't get to get a very good look at her, before the sticky darkness washed over the both of them, enveloped them, blotting out even the Mask's famous vision.

He couldn't breathe. He didn't want to either. Getting this sickness in his lungs was less preferable that simply holding his breath until he died, which was what he was, for briefest second, prepared to do. He had no idea how they could possibly ever get out of this predicament, trapped and blinded in this inky ocean.

So, since he currently had no use for them, he couldn't find much reason to mind, except for morbid curiosity, when he felt her reach up, and take the Mask off of his face…

Only a second after she did so, he felt himself being jerked, and dragged, faster than humanly possible. Fast enough to run down all the corridors in seconds, fast enough to outrun the wave of darkness and even fast enough that what had stuck to their skin peeled off of them from the force of the wind rushing past them.

When they reached the stairs that led to the upper level, Karen finally let go of Wildwing's hand, tossing him to the side and turning back to face the upwards waterfall that was threatening to fall down on them and envelop everything. And not just everything in the house, but everything else it possibly could. With a mighty grunt, she pushed her hands down on the air in front of her, and the dark deluge was forced back down into the dungeons. In that instant, the tar-like substance was purified, and hardened, turning it into harmless earth.

Effectively, she had truly and finally buried all the family's skeletons. And, she thought with some satisfaction, she had taught her family the value of work ethic. After all, if they wanted their gold and riches now, they were going to have to dig for it…

But that thought only preoccupied her mind for but a moment. Then she noticed how the men around her were looking at her, in pure shock and disbelief. And it wasn't hard to guess why, once she realized that she was naked. And, as an afterthought, she realized it was probably also because, somehow, she was wearing Wildwing's Mask…

Nosedive was the first to finally find his voice. He had planned to welcome back his wife with open arms, congratulations, and kisses all over her face, but now he was frozen in place.

He could only manage to make his mouth move at first, and the rest just blurted out from him instinctively. "No… Fucking… WAY…"

And as Hecate finally released her and floated away to join the spirits she had collected, she whispered with much satisfaction, "I hope you enjoy your reward~"

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	11. Chapter 11

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After the initial shock wore off, and their gentlemanly training kicked back in, they quickly went looking for something to cover her naked form. The only remnant of her former outfit and accessories were her two wands, clutched in a deathly grip as they had been the whole time while down there, both in the opposite hand that she had dragged Wildwing back with, in those final moments. So after returning both to their respective hands, she turned a nearby rug into plain white cloth, and wrapped it around her form, sealing it with magic into a simple dress. Finally, she removed the Mask, and handed it back with a nudge to Wildwing's shoulder, to indicate that she was 'decent' again.

Only then did the males look back at her. "Babe..." Nosedive murmured first. "Are you okay…?" Although she looked more than physically fine to him, much more in fact, he still remembered very clearly how excruciatingly painful his transformation had been too…

"Yes." She answered, knowing what he meant. "It didn't hurt. Barely felt it at all, in fact. I was just glad to have a form to take, after I realized I didn't. But then, to be honest, now that I have a moment to really feel this…" Her eyes widened and she placed the two wands back together as she reached up and felt at her new mouth. Her new… Bill. "…Oh man! This is so, super weird-!"

"I bet!" Nosedive sympathized with her, coming nearer to take her by the shoulders in support. "Here, this has got to be weird enough as it is, let's go home now…"

She nodded, and began to follow him. But then, just a few feet from the door, she stopped. The tapestry that her brother had been hiding in front of moments ago seemed to be staring at her. The images of her mother, father and brother bore down at her, unmoving, while all the photos and portraits surrounding it stared down at her literally, with distaste clear on their features. One of the photos of Draco was even sticking his tongue out at her. Another was giving her a very rude finger gesture.

She narrowed her eyes at them all, then took out the pear wood wand. With it she spelled the tapestry, the strongest and most spiteful spell the mostly protective and domestic pear wand had ever been used for…

Looking into a nearby mirror for reference, considering this form was still new, she redesigned the tapestry, erasing her family from the threads and replacing it with her own image, her new image. And she put a very powerful spell on it, so that no one would ever be able to remove it in any way.

They had destroyed all of her baby pictures when they found out she was a squib. So seeing her image in the first place would piss them off, but this… Having the gigantic image of one of those "freaky" duck-alien people staring down at them every day, oh, that was going to drive them absolutely mad. Their photos were already reacting with shock and horror. So she made her new image cross her arms and added a satisfied smirk to her face for good measure.

They could either deal with it, or find another house to live in. And considering there were no other houses with historical landmark status for Lucius to hide in, they were just going to have to learn to like it.

Nosedive and the others began to snort and chortle at the sight of the finished product. Her husband nudged his brother, "Look at that, guys! Is my wife a true artist, or what!"

"Magnifico!" Duke proclaimed.

Wildwing simply gave her a smile and a thumbs up, before proclaiming, "Alright already, let's get out of this freaky Addams-family rip-off…"

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Once back in Anaheim, Wildwing was quick to inform the other Ducks what had happened, lest they freak out thinking they had another Lucretia DeCoy in their hands.

Thankfully Cornelius and Kendra were over at Goob's house, so they didn't have to deal with the initial shock right away. Naturally Goob's father had been very angry when he found out what happened to his son, but the boy had pleaded not to be separated from his friends despite the incident. Of course the man was still hesitant, but after the first full moon had passed, and they realized how much supernatural energy the boy now had, he had to admit that the curse did come with its blessings too. He would run all night, playing with the family's large dogs in his transformed state, and never tired until dawn. Before that night, Goob had never known what it felt like to have so much strength. So after considering everything, Goob and his father accepted the situation and didn't blame Karen for it, only the truly guilty party, her brother.

But it was freaky enough just for the Ducks to accept for now, let alone any humans. "So, I guess she really is 'one of us' now…?" Mallory mused at first sight of her.

"I mean, she was already, but yanno…" Nosedive shrugged.

Karen seemed pensive though, despite how happy everyone else seemed. When her husband finally noticed it, and inquired about it, she simply gave him a smile. "I'm okay Dive, it's just… I think, now that I know what it feels like to live in this form first-hand, I think I might… I might be able to restore you to your true form now, if you'd like to try…?"

Nosedive's eyes went just as wide as when he's first seen her new form. "Well—I mean, duh!" He finally managed to answer, slowing grinning from ear to ear, despite the initial shock and disbelief. After living as long as he had in his new body, he had almost gotten completely used to it. But of course he couldn't deny, he longed for the way things used to be. They way they were supposed to be. And he trusted no one else but her to do such a thing.

She naturally hesitated just for a moment, taking her time to stare one last time at his human face. They had plenty of pictures, but she wanted to see the sparkle in his eyes, a slightly different shade of blue than he'd had as a Puckling, a clear watery blue instead of his Puckling pond-green and blue eyes... And the curve of his human lips in a smile, his devilishly handsome human smile, just one last time...

Finally, before she lost her nerve, she broke away from the stare and reached up with one hand, pointing the cherry wood wand at him, whilst pointing the pear wood wand at herself. She mouthed the spell. Light consumed them both.

A moment was all it took for their bodies to morph back into the forms Karen remembered them first as. They seemed to phase into one another and then separate in a harmless transformation, exchanging their DNA. When they reformed, they stood almost the same as they had met, with Karen taking back her human form, and giving Nosedive, perhaps not his old form back exactly, but a form that was almost identical to it. So essentially it was the same thing for Nosedive, who was almost about to crow with elation, until he noticed that his wife had gone back to her human form. He couldn't help but be just a little disappointed at that.

His woman recognized his thoughts and feelings instantly, and sought to ease them, quickly assuring him, "I'm sorry Nosedive, but I swear I have good reasons. First of all, that form of mine was made out DNA borrowed from your brother… So if I stayed in that form I would have more or less been genetically... your sister. SO-! Um, YEAH, I thought it'd be better to just let you have that borrowed DNA instead, and take your human genes. Basically it was just a big switcheroo. But! I can still use this knowledge again, and transform again later! Just, you know, with maybe someone else's DNA, if anyone is willing, and after I've had the chance to let the children weigh in on the matter, and give them a proper goodbye in the form they know..."

She worried about upsetting them. After he realized it himself, he naturally worried over that too. And though she was too selfless to admit it, she would obviously want time to say goodbye to her own self too… "Oooh, yeah, okay, no, definitely, I want you to be my 'soul sister', not a literal one, but… Karen, are you sure you really want to do this…?" He was pretty sure he thought he knew for sure, but he knew he ought to ask anyways.

"Yes." She replied immediately, her eyes peering into his with determination. But she also quickly glanced down, and relented. "I just need some time to say goodbye to myself too…"

He gripped his hand, feeling the familiar and yet now oddly alien-feeling down. His own feathers felt so ridiculously soft and fluffy to him now. He was always clean and hygienic enough, but not the type to get too fancy. But his skin felt like it had been treated with loads of feather softener. And as damned glad as he was to have it back… He still, strangely, missed his old pig-skin almost just as much. He missed the feel of his old skin too, but of course, what he really missed were those lips, and the special kisses they'd shared the past several years…

"Karen…" He finally decided. "Babe… Just, take your time with this, okay? You don't have to do this right away. In fact, I think you should wait at least until Cornelius and Kendra are fully grown. Just in case the stupid government guys try to make some fuss over guardianship on the grounds of you not being human. I wouldn't put it past them…"

She sucked in a horrified little gasp at the realization of his reasoning being sound. "You… You're right, my love… We'll do that. But, when they are old enough, I promise, I swear to you my love, on our love. I'll do it for you then…"

He bowed his head and took her hand, placing a mock kiss upon it with the tip of his bill. "I look forward to that day, my love~"

Karen smiled down at him, then hesitantly looked back up at the others. There was just a short pause before Mallory spoke up first. "I guess if you need someone to donate some DNA or whatever, I can volunteer. I know Dive used to be super into me before I went with Duke. Don't deny it~" She smirked at Nosedive, who was glaring at her and making a slicing motion with his hand over his neck for being so candid with his wife.

But Mallory went on to confess without a care, "And I mean, I guess I kinda always wanted a little sister. All I had were brothers…"

Karen smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Mallory. Although, I think I'd be more like a daughter than a sister, from a genetic viewpoint - But I'd be happy to consider you like a sister. Also... I'm not sure if it's worth the bother thinking about, but while we're on that subject, since it's better to be genetically diverse, it'd be best if I mixed your DNA with another male's. And since we don't want to confuse your children with Duke, I had already been thinking that it might be best if I used Grin as the second donor… If that's alright with both of you?"

Grin blinked, owlish for a moment. He was touched, and of course, considering that brief history Nosedive had shared with him, it seemed oddly appropriate, but just plain odd, now that the one who would be his mate, would turn out to be a daughter he never knew he'd have... It was more than a little mind-boggling, even for a deep and spiritual thinker such as himself. "I… Of course. I would be honored…"

Karen bowed deeply to him in thanks, then turned to Mallory, who nodded, "It's kinda weird, but eh, I'm a alternate dimension-hopping duck." And with that she plucked a hair from her head and offered it to the human. Grin followed suit, and Karen wordlessly magicked them into vials she conjured and then spirited away.

When the children came home again, they were stunned to see their father had been returned to a form that was now almost alien to them. But they hugged him just as tight, and when they asked to touch his face in curiosity, he let them.

He and Karen explained it all to them slowly. Karen even told them most of what she had experienced in her trials at the Manor, although much of it was glossed over for their sanity. Then she told them what had happened after, and the decision that she had come to.

They hugged her even tighter, clinging a little. They understood, but it was harder to... Cornelius and Kendra knew that they belonged to the Earth, but they had sensed subconsciously, in Cornelius's case, and had been made known by clairvoyance in Kendra's, that their mother had a different destiny than they. She belonged to Nosedive, and by extension, his world. The final transaction of a cosmic trade.

There would come a day when they would have to part forever... But that was always destined to happen anyways. So until that day came, everything could continue as normal.

And so they did, for almost another two years. Dragaunus would only make blips on the radar to get what he needed for his growing family, stealing meat and livestock and then disappearing once more. But then finally, one day, he stalled a little too long. Growing as his boys were, he needed extra meat, and when the Ducks caught up with him, Karen was able to cast a tracking spell on him before he scurried off. The Ducks had tried to put tracking devices on him before, but he always found them and destroyed them. Magic was a little harder to shake, if you even knew it was there to begin with...

So now that they knew where he and his brood were hiding... Now they needed to prepare.

They made plans, went through several battle schematics with Karen, explained everything they knew about Saurians and their known strengths and weaknesses. When they were finally sure that she was ready, they then took the children aside, and explained everything to them. Everything they were about to do, and the possible outcomes. They gave hugs and said goodbyes... Just in case it was the last...

Sonya and Steelfeather were teary eyed, and they begged their mother not to go. She had always stayed with them before, but she had to this time, to assist with hacking the Saurian technology. Wildwing promised he would protect her, and bring her back safe. Just as he always had before.

A bit tougher than them, Duke and Mallory's son Baron bade his kin to take down as many sorry Saurians as they could. Cornelius promised his mother and father he would look out for his sister if anything happened to them, though he knew darn well the opposite would be the case. Kendra, alone among them, seemed strangely quiet.

"Kendra... Will you be okay while we're gone?" Her mother asked, stressing a bit.

But her daughter only said to her what she always said to the children when they went out. "...Just be careful. Come home safe."

Finally, the day for battle was at hand.

The Saurians had hidden their ship deep within a rocky cluster of mountains. Wildwing and the team put up all their strongest cloaks and shields, then headed out on foot, armored and armed to the teeth. They climbed through and over the rough terrain until they finally found the slope where the Saurian ship was perched, and then Tanya, Duke and Wildwing worked together to hack in and sneak entry.

And Kendra, who had sneaked in behind them using a cloaking spell her own mother had taught her, followed right after.

She wasn't sure why at first. Almost as long as she'd lived, Kendra had dedicated herself to protecting her brother. She knew that his knowledge would bring great fortune to the world. But he was weak, and prone to havoc. A bad combination like that needed to be protected. From his own clumsiness mostly, but also the occasional alien abduction, or some-odd government agent and/or company representative trying to convince him to leave the normal high school routine behind and come with them. They would politely refuse, but if any of them didn't want to take no for an answer, Kendra would send them on their way with a nasty and long-lasting hex.

More recently, she had gone to the bother of protecting him from his own budding hormones, as the sixteen-year old was getting closer than ever to his girlfriend Franny... Kendra always made sure to sit between them at dinner and movies, acting as chaperone when her parents weren't around. She was FAR too young to be an aunt, after all!

But right now, her heart was telling her, deep down and with utmost conviction, that her brother would be fine, and that she was -desperately- needed elsewhere... There was something... No, -someone-, in this ship, that needed her protection now too. Someone who would also benefit her world greatly. Someone who was in grave, grave danger...

She needed to help her...

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	12. Chapter 12

(( Aaaah I'm so excited to finally introduce this new character. I love her. Hope you all do too. And lmao to those curious yes we will be getting some new ducklings soon too... XP ))

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Purely led by instinct, Kendra followed her parents and their group through the first couple of corridors. Then, suddenly, while they went to go right, she stopped, inclined to go left...

Strangely, that morning before getting ready for her mission to protect her family, which she had beforehand been so nervous about, she had found a couple of shimmering golden flowers, flowers of the purest, truest golden color, growing from the middle of her pillow on her bed. The flowers also mentioned to her psychically that she could call them 'Felix'.

Thinking nothing of how strange that should be, she also thought nothing of obeying the inclination to brew it into her tea at breakfast. She also shared a sip of that tea with Cornelius that morning when he had asked for a taste of the strange brew she was making. Considering the effects she was having now from the finished result, that of being able to tell exactly what she should do and feeling great about it all the while, she was quite interested to know how her brother's day had gone later as well...

But for right now, left was the way to go. Definitely left, definitely the way to go...

The path led her to what the Ducks formerly knew to be a storage room, and so was not a first priority for them. It had since been converted to a nesting area. Mattresses had been ripped up and hollowed out for the comfort of the young lizards that used them, though the heating lamps were mostly all in good condition. Those that had been foolish enough to chew up their heating lamps were mercilessly left to die in the cold...

The rest were raised to attend grueling training sessions in the bridge of the ship every day, which they were currently away at. The nesting room was empty, so why was she here...?

A bolt suddenly fell down from the entrance of a ventilation shaft. Something scurried, worrying a soft, pained growl at itself...

She immediately for empathy for it. Whatever it was, she felt immediately as if she should help it... "Hey there. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. My name's Kendra. Can I please see you...?"

Another whine. She, yes, definitely a she, was still scared... It was not hard to guess why after realizing that fact either. The Saurians were already well known for their savagery, so it was no wonder at all why a lone Saurian sister would so desperately hide from her brothers. Especially since they had all recently entered the Saurian equivalent of puberty...

Realizing all that through a bond of shared empathy, Kendra hesitantly added, "Please. I promise it'll be okay. I know you've always been scared, and I know why... I'm a girl like you, by the way. I mean, you know, not -exactly- like you, but I'm not a male like them. I know you're scared of males. They're not all bad where I'm from, but I know that's not the case here... I can take you away from this place if you want. If you'll help me..."

Very slowly, she slithered out of the ventilation shaft, crawled down a pipe to the floor and then snaked her way across the floor, until she came within six or seven feet of Kendra. Then she stopped, and stood up the way that the human was doing. Her arms and legs were rather on the short side, but her torso was very long. Her body was most like her mother Queen Chameleon's in stature, but her coloration was that of her father, a deep crimson red, with dark reddish-orange on her currently naked underbelly, and freckles of maroon on her arms and back. The effect made her look... Well, rather like an almost five-foot tall version of Mushu from Mulan...

Kendra smiled politely, restraining the urge to giggle just yet. Physically she was not intimidating, to say the least. But Kendra could sense great magical power from this one, a magical signal that was only to be found within one other being on this ship. Queen Chameleon...

So as it stood, if one of her brothers or her father didn't kill her if they found her, her mother certainly would. For another reason entirely, but she would be just as brutal as the others...

Kendra aimed to make her forget about all that in time. And considering that was what had been her life so far, naturally an offer like this would be tempting coming from almost any kind of being. But the Saurian sister did find this one to be awfully cute, though she couldn't yet verbalize that herself... Well, time to change that.

"Give me your hand..." Kendra implored. "Just give me a chance. Together, we'll punish your wicked family, and then I can take you somewhere much better. Just touch your skin to mine..."

What else did she have to gain or lose? But still cautious, the female reptilian inched very slowly closer, until there was only a couple of feet between them. There she outstretched her little hand, and Kendra took the last step towards her, taking it in her own. As soon as their skin touched, their entire lives flashed before and between them. Every memory, every feeling, they empathized with and empowered each other.

After their eyes stopped glowing, the girls gasped, gazed upon each other, and then embraced. The lone true Saurian witch, as they both now knew her to be, also now knew what a soulmate was, and that she had one... And, she now knew that she needed a name...

The only time her mother and father had every spoken to her, was when they finally learned of her existence, quite recently, after she accidentally killed one of the boys who tried to attack her. He was the only boy still as small as her, and had been able to follow her into her hiding places when he discovered her, by scent. She was a very good hider but that unfortunately became a problem after a while...

She had used her powers for the first time in self-defense. Her parents had come to her and promised that they would be 'merciful' to her. That she would be locked away where the males could not get to her, guarded and regarded as a member of the highest Saurian royalty, just under the Lord and his Queen. They promised that only when they had proven themselves worthy in battle, that she would be allowed to pick a husband among what her parents deemed the strongest and most worthy of her brothers. The entire time, they addressed her simply as their word for 'Female'...

To say the least, their offer wasn't very tempting. So she continued to hide, using her new powers to help her do it...

But her mother had nearly caught her a few times already. She needed to get away...

"Sal..." Kendra mused, thinking about how the girl's form was somewhat like a little dragon-salamander. "...Sally? Do you like the name Sally? Is it okay if I call you that?"

The first words she had ever spoken to anyone then came out of her mouth. "...I like that."

Kendra grinned, reaching in and giving the reptilian girl a loose hug. "I like you, Sally! I promise I'll protect you, and you can be part of my family, where we have fun and protect each other and never hurt each other, as long as you protect and love us too. Okay?"

Shy, the little Saurian, who felt more like a princess in the presence of this girl than she ever had when her father promised that she would be like one, tried to give her new best friend a grin in return. Now instead of Mushu, she looked a bit like Toothless from the movie about the boy who learn to train dragons...

Kendra couldn't help but let a little giggle loose then, but since she now got the reference, Sally laughed along with her, before nodding and replying, "Yes. Okay, Kendra. I promise. And... I like you too."

Linking her smooth but slightly hairy human arms with the other girl's shorter scaly ones, Kendra mentioned, "Okay then. Are you ready to help me kick your evil family's butt? We can do it as long as we stick together."

Sally believed her, but she was still very scared. She didn't want to face her family again. As far as she was concerned, they could have been gone yesterday already...

But she knew she had to help her best friend, too... "Is it..." Sally slowly licked her tongue at the air, as if feeling the words. "I mean... I have the power to hide my form in shadows. I could hide in your shadow... If it's okay with you?"

Kendra nodded in understanding. "It's okay."

Taking the invitation, the little Saurian witch turned her body into pure shadow, which then blended neatly into Kendra's. Kendra was several inches taller than her, so she fit with plenty of room, and it didn't make her feel heavy at all.

"You'll still have to come out to speak the final words of the curse..." Kendra reminded her still, though she knew the other girl already knew of the plan. "A Saurian needs to be the one to seal them away..."

"I can do it..." Sally sent the words to her mind, telepathically. "I can do anything now that you're by my side..."

Kendra smiled and nodded back at her shadow, then headed back the way her parents had come...

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The Mighty Ducks had found the Saurian royalty and their sons in the middle of a drill, catching them initially by surprise. But the boys were more than ready for war. They had practically been begging their father to let them loose on some real sentient beings lately. So the Duck's invitation was met with much enthusiasm, not the uncertainty one would expect in most other children. With their numbers they might have almost been able to overpower them if it was just the ducks, but with a witch on their side, it made it much easier to push back against unequal numbers...

Even still though, Queen Chameleon was now going all-out on her, and even with two magic signals within her, she was giving Karen a run for her money. A literal run and a literal sweat, they were practically playing ping-pong with their magic, but with much deadlier consequences if one or the other missed.

So it certainly didn't help Karen one bit, or so she initially believed, to realize suddenly that her daughter had followed them here, as it was her form that emerged from the swooshing doors behind them.

Despite their shock, both she and Nosedive said at the same time, "Kendra, get BACK!" But their daughter did not listen. She advanced several steps, then stopped, disappeared on the spot, and reappeared again a few steps ahead of them, looking at them now with pitch black eyes.

She didn't address them, and they were too shocked by her eyes to do anything at first. Then, before they could think of how to react, she had already turned around, and began addressing the Saurians. Of course the Queen tried throwing a handful of dark spells at her, but they bounced off of an invisible force-field around her, until it was hit, and then it briefly turned into a bubble of shadow. Heedless of either, Kendra spoke authoritatively. "Creatures of heat and hate. I've come bearing your fate..."

The closest of the young males tried to rush at her, but just before they were about to reach her, their bodies seized up, caught by a locking spell. Kendra continued on, undisturbed, and her voice became as two. One voice was her own, and one was a strange... Hissing sort of voice? A voice that almost sounded... Saurian? But it was strange. It was unlike any voice they'd heard before... "This world is good and kind host, it opens it's arms to most... But you seek to seize for yourself and destroy others..."

Through her poem, all of the Saurians, not just those rushing at her, all of the males started to seize up, and it was only after the last male was taken did the Queen finally understand what was going on. "She's got them by their shadows! This magic, it's-!"

Chameleon look up from her sons and then saw her daughter, standing at first behind the human, in her shadow, she emerged and slithered around to the front, where she continued Kendra's poem in her hissy voice, "That's why... We no longer regard you as brothers."

One by one, and then several at a time, the young males were dragged back into their own shadows, screaming but unable to even kick against the cosmic pull, like a black hole sucking them in. The Lord and his Queen roared in indignation and cried out in fear, as their entire army that they'd built of their own sweat and blood over the years, disappeared in seconds.

Then they felt the pull on their own backs. And they heard her voice. The voice of the Last True Saurian Witch. "And I no longer regard YOU as my father or mother... So I'm sending you where you can never hurt another..."

Strong as the Queen was, her usurper's magic was stronger. Much stronger. Stronger and purer and truer. So when their bodies were ripped from this dimension to the other, they could still hear her voice until they reached the other side, to their new home. A place of much heat and fire. A place where food would be scarce, and where no other planets to leech off of was anywhere nearby. "This is where you deserve to be... And now, I'm finally free..."

Dragaunus roared like a savage. He swore bloody revenge on the girl, but he was impossibly far from where she'd ever hear him again.

Meanwhile, the ducks stood in shock and awe of the fact that their greatest problem, their most hated enemies... Had essentially just taken care of itself? Naturally, it was rather hard to believe at first. And even then it was even more difficult to just accept.

Nosedive was the first to find his voice, "First of all baby girl, you are grounded for a month for sneaking into the middle of a battle field like that, and second of all, what the HELL just happened?"

She nodded in understanding. "That's fair, daddy. And I'm sorry I gave you all such a shock. But I knew I had to come, and I knew you wouldn't allow it if I just told you. But I swear it was for a good reason. Because there was an innocent soul on board... Her."

Reaching over, she took the young and comically short dragon-girl's hand. "Please Daddy-Dive, Uncle Wing, everybody... I know what her people have done to ours. But she's suffered all her life because of them too. She just wants to live her life in peace. She's not one of them. She wants to be one of us. -I- want her to be one of us..." Straightening up, she locked her eyes on her father's, then Wildwing's. She was desperately serious. "Please let me keep her! Now that I've met her, I can't imagine ever being without her! I named her! Her name is Sally! And I love her!"

Every set of eyes in the room as wide as they could go. Wishing for not the first time that someone else would take the lead in situations as ridiculous as this, Wildwing finally spoke up after opening and closing his bill several times to no avail. "Kendra... I know I don't have to tell you that asking to keep the daughter of your worst enemy is way, WAY different than asking to keep a puppy..."

"She kinda did just get rid of our worst enemies though...?" Nosedive supplied uncertainly. His children were more precious than anything to him, and he wanted to take his daughter's side. But admittedly, asking him to play foster-father to a Saurian was much more daunting than his decision to protect and foster his human son...

"Yeah, but what if that's all just a ploy?" Mallory intervened. "What if she didn't really get rid of them, what if they're just hiding? And then she'll bring them back once we've let her into our secret base..."

Nosedive admittedly hadn't considered that, and looked to the girls for their explanation. Partially hiding behind Kendra, the little dragon girl meekly answered, "I promise I'd never do that... Please. The Saurians were horrible to me. I never want to see them again, and if they saw me, they'd kill me. I never want to see another Saurian as long as I live. I understand if you can't trust me and don't wish to keep me. Just please let me live in peace on this beautiful planet, and please, let me visit Kendra? She's the first friend I've had, my very best friend..."

Naturally, her best friend resisted this plan. "No! I want you with me! I want to be with you! She's as close to me as my own shadow now, we belong together, you all don't understand!"

Of course they didn't. They couldn't. But, in desperation, Kendra turned to her mother and father, who she knew out of all of them would have the closest idea. "Mommy, please! She's just like you were! She came from somewhere bad, but she's good! Please believe me!"

Her mother took pity on her. Acting on instinct, she bent down, and beckoned for the little Saurian female to come closer. At first hesitant, Sally slowly slithered, and then scurried over to her, wrapping her long body around Karen's midsection before laying her head to rest on her lap.

Placing her hand on her scaly, slightly horned head, Karen reached into her memories, into her very soul. She found no malice there... Only familiarity and kinship.

Finally, Karen looked up at her daughter, smiling but serious. "Kendra... You know I've promised my life to Nosedive. I'll help to raise her. I'll let her live at our human residence. But ultimately, you are the one who is going to have to keep and protect her. Can you do that?"

Kendra nodded right away. "I do! I mean," She blushed deeply, grinning as she glanced over at the other girl, who untangled herself from their mother and took her place back at Kendra's side. "That is, I meant to say... I will."

The two girls hugged each other tight, before Sally slipped again into Kendra's shadow. "It's nice having her there." She explained when her father gave her a weird look for it. "It's like she's always got my back!"

He could tell the other Ducks were 100% on board with this new development just yet, but he had to do his best to be supportive of his daughter.

...But man, out of all the people his daughter could have picked to have her first crush on... Did it HAVE to be a Saurian?

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	13. Chapter 13

(( A.N.: I updated this thing again...? XD;; Also reader beware, there's a tiny lil mini-lime in this chapter. Like, a key lime? XD Something like that, PFT. It really doesn't even need to be there but this chapter kind of sucks IMO, so whatever, why not. I think this one makes it painfully obvious that this author is strictly panromantic and not really pansexual, though... XPPP Also if you haven't already done so, go watch "The Shape of Water"! It's literally the only reason this chapter got written. XD! ))

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Cornelius almost might have been surprised that his sister came back with a reptilian alien princess for a soulmate, except that he had long since stopped being surprised by his sister's antics, and besides that, the crazy flower tea he drank that morning apparently reacted with the remaining dormant magic within him, and after a magical outburst, a magical hiccup so to speak, it caused him to end up going on an insane adventure to meet his own son in the future, where he learned that apparently not only did he marry his school sweetheart Franny, who was still the kick-butt sass-master and hot mama he always loved, and the literal mama to his child… Well, they were apparently also jointly married to Goob, and a lovely little brunette toy train enthusiast named Billie. All of them. One big happy family. With plenty of other crazies as extended family! All kinds of odd characters were there, old and young, beautiful and ugly, geniuses and, er... Less so. There was even a giant one-eyed octopus, a cute little family of singing frogs and an odd old orange capybara who wore a queen's crown for some reason, and a dinosaur! A t-rex, to be specific. It was rumored that the old family kneazle had cursed them from ever replacing her with a dog...

Also Kendra was there, as an adult, an insanely powerful witch who, when working in tandem with his future self, had made all kinds of magical technology. All kinds of improvements were made to human society, they reduced a lot of pollution, cured a lot of diseases and other ailments, and made hundreds and thousands of inventions of all kinds, all shapes, and all uses. It looked like a pretty neat life, a life to look forward to, except…

Well, there was all kinds of crazy characters, even the "grown up" (still only just barely taller than five feet and a bit lumpy looking - She almost looked like Mushu from "Mulan" had a baby with Velma from "Scooby Doo"... Jinkies.) version of his sister's new soulmate Sally, who was a very androgynous female as an adult and requested everyone but Kendra to simply call her Sal. Only Kendra was allowed to call her Sally, and she only dressed in feminine attire on very special occasions for Kendra, which he was privileged enough to see for a special ball held in his honor, complete with the singing frogs, his sister had worn a red dress to match her lover and her lover had worn a yellow dress for her, and they looked very dashing together.

So, even they were there, and they all made quite a scene in front of him, but he eventually realized the truth. The reason why they were making such a fuss over him when he came to visit, showing him so much neat stuff even though by normal time rules it could be dangerous to interact with let alone share knowledge like that, it wasn't just to encourage him and tempt him into working hard for his future, because he was fated to make this meeting anyways. No matter what they showed him, he was still fated to make more or less this same future. So what they were actually hoping to blind him to was the fact that certain people, certain pucklings, were… Not there.

He didn't bring it up either. He had a nice visit and had fun with his new future family, which something deep inside him, something like a warm and glowing star inside his heart and soul (he decided to call this golden, glowing, happy, peaceful feeling inside his soul 'Felix', like the 'Felix flower tea' his sister had made for him that morning/a few dozen years ago) told him were going to be more than fine and fun people to hang out with for the rest of your life. And, even if his future self had said nothing about inventing a way to speak to his mother and her family across dimensions, Cornelius didn't doubt for a second it could be possible. Anything was possible. You just had to make it probable!

But uh yeah, regarding his sister and her Saurian soulmate, after what he'd seen of his future, he obviously didn't have room to talk after that. And if he did have any room, he'd surely fill that room with a new family member in no time flat!

Understandably though, Nosedive and the others who hadn't seen future!Sally and didn't have a future with her, were having a bit tougher a time adjusting to her. Nosedive was giving her the biggest benefit of a doubt, but since it was his home and his wife and children that his daughter was asking him to share, he admittedly couldn't help but doubt his actions at first.

But slowly and then much more surely, Sal (she quickly said she felt a little awkward hearing everyone else call her her Sally, and asked that they instead call her Sal. Kendra alone was exempt and allowed to use her pet name) gave him less and less reasons to distrust her. She was kind. She liked animals a lot. She adored the family kneazle and loved watching animal programs on the television and animal videos on the internet. She was obsessed with looking for bugs and birds and squirrels and other critters and creatures when she was allowed outside, into their backyard.

It was eventually decided, with the aid of Kendra's clairvoyance, that the best course of action for at least some few more years would be to not tell the authorities about Sally. Because in most futures where they told them about her too soon, the authorities would come to suspect that the Pucklings and the Saurians had been only pretend-fighting, had secretly been in league with each other, and the suspicious human authorities would then turn on them. The wiser course of action was to hide her for a few years, and then in the future, after the Ducks had found their opportunity to get back home, she could be introduced without endangering them.

Besides that, the last, lone Saurian witch clearly needed some solitude for a while, and a rest. A long rest. A rest she would need to periodically take again and again, quite often, making her seem on the slow and lazy side. But this was not truly the case. She had been deprived of a heat lamp because of her need to hide, and had instead had to use artificial heat made from magic to survive. So at least half the time spent over the next two years, while Kendra and Cornelius finished their high school experience (they still took their time and enjoyed it, but they still graduated a year early too), Sally had slept through long, long naps, under a heat lamp. She asked for lots of hot foods, like hot soup and piping hot cheesy casseroles from the oven. She also liked spicy peppers, so she certainly fit right into this chili-loving family at dinner, at least.

Still, Nosedive had to watch her when she slept next to Kendra at night, obsessively the first few nights and then less so after that for the sake of his own sanity and need for sleep. Also it was just awkward after a while, watching the two girls cuddle and snuggle up like puppies in a basket at night...

So although it took some getting used to, he eventually started to like the sleepy Saurian witch, started to see that she was a being more like him than her fathers, a being that loved and took great interest in other animals, and didn't want to hurt them, but to help them. When not sleeping, she would often work with Kendra on practicing magic or with Cornelius, studying science. Her two favorite subjects. It wasn't long before she was part of their regular dungeons and dragons group, and one of the strongest players at that. She viewed it as a much more fun and less stressful version of her father's battle drills, except in this one no one got hurt, it was all about strategy, which she favored. Cornelius and Goob and Franny pretty much accepted Sally just as easily as anyone else, so after that Nosedive found it harder not to, either...

It was kinda like when Karen had suggested they go see that new 'Shape of Water' flick, recently. He wasn't sure if he was gonna be able to care much for it, but after seeing how much it moved his lady and stirred her passions, he came to really dig it after all. Especially since the libido between then had admittedly declined since he had returned to his former body. True, there was a lot on their minds and a lot going on, but it became a bit more noticeable after all that had passed...

Nosedive hadn't brought it up. He wanted his woman to be enthusiastic about loving him or not at all. But thankfully it seemed all she needed was a fantastic interspecies romance movie to light that old fire...

That night, on the way back from the theater, she had mentioned to him excitedly, "Babe? You know I'd totally break into a top secret government facility to free you from evil government toads if I ever had to, right?"

He smirked back at her, "Of course, babe."

There was a short silence after that, before she spoke up again, "...So... If I could literally die for you, then I can sure as heck get over this awkwardness and shame that only people who don't matter would impose on me... If I can die for you, I can sure as heck live and love for you..."

Nosedive shook his head, knowing what she was getting at. "You know I would never expect anything of you, babe." He assured her, "I don't want you to do anything that will make you uncomfortable for any reason."

But she shook her head right back. "No, Nosedive. I know it's a bit silly, but this movie made me realize something! If you suddenly were taken from me somehow, separated from me, I would then want nothing more than to be with you again, to have the chance to love you again! I shouldn't let these chances, these moments, slip by just because this is how we are for now. It's how we are going to be for at least a couple more years. I'm not going to make you wait that long. I'm not going to make myself wait that long anymore either..." She concluded, reaching over from the passenger side and rubbing his thigh, making him speed up a bit subconsciously.

She gave him one of her famously witchy smiles. "Take me somewhere, Dive..."

The double meaning wasn't lost on him...

He drove her out to a lake, one that wasn't in use by humans at this time of year. Half hidden by the woods they parked in, Nosedive took her out of the car, and led her over to the hood. He then took a seat on top of it, and pulled his lover up onto his lap. Wrapping his coat around her, he proceeded to try his best to keep his bill shut and not make too much noise, even if they were seemingly secluded, while she rubbed her neck against his and feverishly kissed and sucked and nipped on his neck with her hot human lips, those plushy, squishy lips...

As if reading his mind, she took her lips away just long enough to mention, "I guess we should make use of this mouth of mine while I still have it..."

It of course went straight to his less-than-straight dick, hearing his normally shy soulmate say something so saucy, and he quickly agreed. She had given him oral many times in his human form, but this was definitely a new first for them...

She adjusted well, licking around the new shape with just as much enthusiasm, even if it was a bit more tricky. Amazing as it was, Nosedive quickly found himself stopping her, and she immediately knew why.

Climbing onto the hood herself, she let them come together, clinging to his feathered skin for warmth. In response to her clinging, he clung back to her, and asked her in a strained voice right before he was about to enter her, "Karen... Can I fuck you like a puckling female?"

Deep down she kind of suspected she might know what he meant by that. But she started to ask anyways, a bit timidly, "How...?"

Dive cut her off there, nudging his neck harshly against hers as he answered, "Hard. Passionate. No games, just pleasure..."

Well, that all sounded well and good, so... "Yes, please..."

He knew she kind of didn't 100% get it yet, though. So he held one leg down by the thigh, and held the other leg up by the knee, spreading her legs and her sex wide open. "You just take care of your clit, kay Kare? If I get too rough at all let me know immediately."

Karen felt a deep thrill go through her. She had no intention of doing that even if he did...

He was hard, and he was passionate. But he was also noticeably more slender than the last time they made love, and much more... Well, just different! It felt like something one might order on the somewhat stranger side of the internet to use to give yourself an intimate massage... And of course not that she had ever looked and never would, but now that she thought about it, there were probably some very incorrect replicas to be found if one did look...

It was a good thing Nosedive's passionate play was enough to distract her from such thoughts, so the roughness didn't bother her one bit, in fact in only heightened things, certainly making up for any weirdness still lingering over the difference in shape and size of what she was used to...

Towards the end of it, there was also a rather strange-sounding request on Nosedive's part, for her to say some stuff about eggs... Only the fact that she was so close kept her from laughing at her recital of it. It did sound silly, but she realized that it was basically his way of saying he wanted to have another baby with her, when they could...

After they were finished they put their clothes back on, and cuddled in each other's arms by the hood of his car for a while, before getting back inside and driving home. They were content like this, no matter where they went or what forms they took.

So, after a while he started to realize, that was just how things were for Kendra, too. She just simply took after her Mama and Papa, loving certain people that most other people didn't want to or know how to love...

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The next few weeks after graduation the children were permitted a vacation, which they spent taking a three day tour of Disneyland, visiting the best local water parks in California and a few other national parks, like the Sequoia, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone, before then flying over to Hawaii and completing the trip by visiting every island there, and having all kinds of wholesome fun in between, . Sally was even able to come, even if she had to spend most of the time either in Kendra's shadow or resting at the hotel, she got to see all kinds of things and people she normally wouldn't, and when they managed to find some secluded place in nature, Kendra would let her out to look around for as long as she could. When they came back, all the kids rested for a full day or two or three, not just Sal, who practically hibernated for four days. But finally on the fifth day when she woke up, Kendra was fully rested and ready to ask her parents for something rather huge.

Which she announced by standing up at breakfast. Sally stayed sitting but she was clearly invested in what the other girl was going to say. "Mama, Papa... I'd like your blessing on something I've been planning to do for a while."

It seemed she already made up her mind, but Nosedive asked his daughter the basics anyways, "What kind of plans do you have in mind, my little earthling?"

She smiled back at the pet name. "Well, I know I told you guys before that I wanted to keep Cornelius safe first and foremost, and that I wasn't interested in going to Hogwarts in this timeline... But I have decided that it would optimally enhance my magical abilities to go on a three or four year trip. I plan on attending a secret American magic school during this time..."

Her mother spoke up with what she thought was recognition, "Oh, Ilvermorny?"

But her daughter shook her head no right away. "It's even more secretive than Ilvermorny, actually. Because it is a nomadic magical school, constantly traveling all around the Americas. Ilvermorny is more just their rival school with Hogwarts. The school I'm joining is kinda more like, well... I guess kind of like X-Men?" She admitted.

Nosedive immediately gasped with excitement and cheered, "WOO! My daughter is gonna be an X-MAN!"

She giggled and shook her head again, but then replied more seriously, "Not exactly, Papa... They call themselves the 'American Aliens'. Not just because there actually ARE literal space aliens in the program, but because all the other human members consider themselves like aliens to the human species because of their extra abilities, which don't always fit into a mold needed for a regular magical school environment, and it's not age restrictive either, though of course the youngest ones are fiercely protected, there are in fact far more adults than minors in the group. So basically you can join at any time, stay as long as you need, learn from whoever you can learn from there and try to teach what you can too, and see the sights along the way. People come and go, find the places they like to stay. Only a very few will stay with the group for their whole lives, most eventually find a place they like to settle. But me and Sally, we're just going for a while, and we plan to come back after four years tops. We plan to find people who can help us strengthen our magic, strengthen the seal Sally made to keep the Saurians trapped, and enhance my magic so I can find a way to send you guys back to your own world, finally... And once I can finally do that, I'll definitely be strong enough to protect Cornelius from anything, so you can leave him here with me without worry when that time comes, okay Mama and Papa...?"

Nosedive and Karen both blinked. His throat dry, Nosedive barely managed, "Wait, what...?"

Kendra nodded and affirmed for him, "In about five years or so, seven at most, I believe my magic will be strong enough to send you all home to Puckworld. Space and Time magic are both very hard to master, and no one has ever mastered either completely, but these powers will war within me whether or not I try to get a grip and reign them in. I may as well try to do something impossible. I can't let Cornelius be the only one who does that in this family, after all. But, just so you know, father... It's only because of Sally that I can even dream of doing this for you... I know that now, and I feel you should too. It was Saurian magic that got you sent here in the first place, and in a funny way, that's what will get you back too..."

Mind blown, Nosedive slowly nodded. "Well... I'll try to get the others to see that, though it may definitely take at least those five to seven years. They might trust Kendra but they will doubt that Sal wouldn't just curse them somewhere horrible. So, I guess, before you go, maybe you should all tell them about this too, and let them digest it? I know they'll want to go home badly enough to try eventually, but they haven't gotten to know Sal like we have, and you'll be away for a few years. So you should at least try talking to them at least once and try to make them understand, before you go do what you gotta do."

Kendra smiled patiently through it all, and nodded. "Yes, father. I foresaw that and we have planned a statement for your brethren to hear. I know they have trusted me less since I took to staying with Sally, but I think we can give them some food for thought before we leave - Over some real food, of course!"

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Kendra and Sally ate on different plates, but they often shared food during meals. They tried to reign in the behavior this time, but they did pass a few morsels to each other here and there under the table.

This seemingly innocent behavior, plus Nosedive's insistence that Sal had never shown any inclination towards evil, made the Ducks able to stand sitting with her at supper as requested. They even handed her everything she politely asked for, every time she asked, which was quite often, considering her short arms. Not t-rex short, but shorter than Chameleon's had been by an inch or two. With that, and how short she was overall, it was easy to think she shouldn't be imposing if you had to fight her. But her specialty was magic, and that was always a wild card...

"Erm... Any butter for your... Charred remains of toast...?" Duke asked kindly, but awkwardly, a little bit sickened as the Saurian spit a tiny stream of flames from her mouth, burning a roll until it was blackened on the outside.

She ducked her head down. "Er, sorry... I like it a little burned sometimes..."

Mallory, the most vocal about her displeasure, mentioned, "It's fine. We're used to Saurians having a taste for senseless destruction, after all..."

Sal put the roll down, unable to say anything in her own defense. But Kendra stood up for her, literally, more than able and more than willing. "Mallory, please. That may be plenty true from your perspective, but you have NO idea how much truer it is for Sally! You don't know how those monsters terrified her as a child, how much she hates them for it! You don't know that this entire time, she could have brought them all back here from where she banished them at any time, but would never even think of it. In fact, she's been using so much energy to keep them locked up, even though Queen Chameleon has been trying to use her magic, and even the life energy of her own sons, to disrupt her magic and fight against her, that she has to take constant naps to replenish the magic, and so that she can fight off her mother in her subconscious mind, without disturbing us! She's going with me so she can find a way to strengthen the seal, so that it doesn't take so much energy from her all the time, because it could literally kill her someday if she doesn't! She's literally holding back an entire army with her magic, Mallory! To help us! She's enduring that witch's psychic attacks constantly, to help us! And all she wants is to be free, and to be with me! She hasn't asked for anything more!"

Mallory hid her humility but continuing to look unimpressed, even though the words were secretly getting through to her. "Yeah, sure, fine. Whatever. Let's just get down to business, shall we? Nosedive said you two think you can send us home. Wanna explain how that's possible?"

Kendra sat back down, and nodded. Sal picked her extra crispy roll back up and started crunching and munching on it while her girlfriend did all the talking. "It's a little simple, and a little complicated. Basically Sally's Saurian magic is extra good at controlling the 'space' aspect of space-time magic. It was Saurian space-bending magic that send you here, and Saurian magic that sent Canard back to Puckworld in it's far past. Because that's the thing, Saurians are total shit at time-magic. But time magic just so happens to be the Robinson family's secret specialty! So, working together and working with other magical specialists across the country, I'm confident that we could help each other find a safe-enough way to not just send you back home, but send you back to your home and back to the correct -time-. Because obviously that's important. If you get there too early, you could cause an anomaly if you see your past selves, or just plain freak out. Get there too late, and everyone you know will be gone... Obviously we want the most ideal option here, so we're gonna work hard to cross all our magical T's before attempting this. And I mean, just saying - Do any of you have any plans that have any remote chance of getting you and your families back home, or is this basically the only shot we got? Just saying..."

"Just saying, don't sass your elders." Mallory returned, still stubbornly staying in her grumpy mood.

"Since when did you become an elder, Aunt Mallory?" Kendra returned, sweetly and with an extra dash of sass.

Mallory returned hotly, her frustration showing, but still showing some humor for the situation. She was more proud of that sass than not, after all, since the girl had obviously picked that up from her Aunt Mal, not her meek mother. "Since when did YOU? Aren't you supposed to be, like, nine or ten tops? Go back to the kiddy-table, you little brat!"

But Kendra laughed, knowing that she was kidding. Well, mostly kidding... After a good laugh, Wildwing spoke up next, "Well, I mean, it would be great to hitch a ride home sooner than later, but, I'm sure you have to understand why it's hard for us to trust you. Especially since we'll be in a vulnerable position to you while you are performing this magic..."

He left the question open, without even saying it. It was hard for girls to answer, but luckily Cornelius had the answer when others didn't, as usual. "If it makes you feel better I can keep a gun on Sal while she performs the magic. Any double-crossing happens, I fire. But I really don't think I'd ever have to do that, guys..."

The ducks whispered between themselves for a few moments. Finally Wildwing nodded for the group. "Well, we can only try... Study hard, girls. We're depending on you."

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Later that month, Kendra and Sal set out with a group of magical men and women that Kendra had been in contact with. After giving Karen and Nosedive the opportunity to meet them and make sure their young daughter was among a safe crowd, they headed out into the big, wide world, to explore and expand their horizons, figuratively and literally.

In the meantime, Cornelius started breezing through online college courses while working with Nosedive's old friend Buzz, who gladly gave him a research job as soon as he became a legal adult. In less than a year Cornelius was already improving designs, turning profits on useful new inventions and saving money for the company responsibly while reducing waste. With his new considerable source of income, he bought a mansion to build his own life and family in, in the near future. In other words he was basically winning at life, so since that was the case, Karen could hardly be mad at him when he announced a couple of years into his promising new career, that he had Fran had learned that they were going to be expecting their first child. Even though they weren't married yet, Karen couldn't fault him for that either, since she and her 'husband' were not legally married either. In fact, all things considered, she was actually pretty glad that her son decided to become a father a little earlier than he normally would in most timelines. She was sure her son could invent a way for them to reach each other, but if not, then at least she got to meet her grandchild before they left...

So of course, when her grandson Wilbur arrived, she showered him with love as often as she could get her hands on him. She tried to be respectful to Franny and the maternal process too, naturally. But thankfully her beautiful new daughter was more than understanding and willing to share, since she knew time was in short supply for their relationship to foster...

In fact, when Kendra and Sal came back after nearly four years, she found herself a little apprehensive about leaving just yet, wanting still yet more time on her mother planet, with her new grandson and her. But thankfully the girls told them that although they had discovered the magic they needed, they still needed time to practice it among themselves before they could use it on anyone else.

No one saw any pressing need to question it at this point, since all the questioning had already been done. They were simply told to take their time and make sure everything was perfect, however long it took. And though no one needed to leave immediately, the girls worked on it diligently, day and night, secluded in a large room that they used for magic practice. A room painted right down the middle, half pure white on one side, the other side pure pitch black.

Decided to surprise the hard-working girls one day with some lemonade for their efforts, Karen used her own magic to blend in with the environment, so as not to alarm them and disturb their magical progress, which when dealing with magic this strong, could potentially be disastrous.

Slipping into the room quickly and quietly, Karen phased into the white, searching for the girls. At first she started to think they might not be inside at that time, but then she began to hear whispering from the dark side of the room. Inching closer, she listened in.

"It's no use, Kendra! Trying to strengthen the seal was a mistake. I still don't know how it happened, but I slipped up bad- And ever since then, Mother keeps clawing at the magical bond she forces us to share, chipping away at it, sapping my magic from me, becoming stronger while I become weaker... I used to have most of the control, but she keeps sneaking more and more magic away from me. Soon she'll be able to force the portal open again. But if I open it myself and seal myself on their end, they'll never be able to get you..."

"I won't let you do that..." Kendra insisted back to her, fiercely. "It's not going to happen like that, and it's not your fault! If anything it's mine! This only started happening after I tried to..." She trailed off, and though she was hidden in shadow, Karen could tell there was a blush on her daughter's face, it was so obvious. "...Anyways! We'll find a way to save everybody, I know we will! Nobody is gonna get sacrificed, not on my watch!"

Taking her lemonade back with her, Karen's heart beat against her chest as she quietly quick-walked out of the room. She was a little disappointed in her daughter for keeping a secret from them, but clearly she was scared of something, and just trying to protect them from it. That was all Karen needed to know for now.

Nobody... -Nobody- messed with Karen's babies.

OR her baby's gender-neutral alien-lizard girlfriends...

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	14. Chapter 14

(( Brief warning, this chapter is fucked up. Some graphic body horror and not sexy sex-related topics ahead. ))

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It had been a long time since Nosedive had felt any need to check in on Kendra and Sal as they slept, so it was quite a shock and definitely confusing to be woken up one night to his daughter screaming like murder for help. Well, specifically she screamed for her mother, but Nosedive of course came too, and didn't hold it against her, especially with what else he was hearing and what he saw when he got there.

And she wasn't the only one screaming either, Sal was letting out all kinds of ungodly shrieks. Incoherently, so terrified that nothing intelligent could be found in those primal, pained screams. Whatever was going on, Nosedive couldn't help but wonder if Sal was going to survive it...

As soon as he made it to Kendra's shared bedroom and kicked down the door, he realized why. To his complete shock and horror, Sal was laying on her back on the bed, writhing in a panic, flailing her tiny arms uselessly. She was being attacked, by none other than Queen Chameleon. To be specific, the top -half- of Queen Chameleon. She was trying to climb and claw her way out of a portal, a portal that had opened up right on Sal's own body, specifically, between her legs...

Kendra had been trying to help her, but Chameleon was holding her back with a powerful magic, another clawing hand made of magic that she was battling against. And as soon as she saw Nosedive and Karen open the door, she sent a powerful field of dark magic energy that pushed them back and sealed off the doorway, then went back to mercilessly scratching the girl, who was concentrating on covering her eyes as tightly as she could, even using magic to hold her hands down across her eyes, for obvious reasons...

Kendra was finally getting the upper hand against, well, the hand, but by then the girl was already covered in multiple scratches. Even still, Kendra wouldn't let her put on a single more. She suddenly turned her arm and hand into a magical sword, and cut down the Chameleon's claw, then ran after the one trying to come out of her best friend.

Turning her hand back to normal, Kendra snarled at the demon, grabbing her by the head, and with all her might, magical and otherwise, she began to push, force the queen's body back into her daughter, like some sick reverse-birth, which clearly was every bit as painful as that sounded to Sal, who half-screamed, half-roared, and altogether sobbed through the ungodly pain. Since she apparently couldn't manage to talk with the pain she was under, Kendra thankfully vocalized for her, whilst also struggling herself - But not struggling to control Chameleon, no... To control the enormous power surging up in her, the power of her namesake... "How... DARE YOU?! HOW -DARE- YOU DO THIS TO YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?! TO ANYONE?! How DARE you relish in this horrible pain, you disgusting fucking MONSTER - BEGONE! I BANISH YOU, BACK, BACK WHERE YOU CAME FROM! Your daughter WILL banish you for good in short time but for now -I- banish you and I do so with THIS PARTING GIFT-!"

The 'gift' was actually a gamble, for even with Puckworld's greatest goddess on her side, she was up against the Saurian's worst curse and their darkest demon. Just as Chameleon had been trying to claw out Sally's eyes, Kendra proceeded to do her best to not just push the Chameleon back through the portal, but dig her thumbs into the Queen's eyes as she did so. She managed to get the right one right away, but after the experiencing the torture of losing the first eye, Chameleon fought back hellishly, almost pushing Kendra back. But by then, Karen had finally gotten her magic to break down the barrier, and she rushed over, about to aid her daughter.

But she didn't need her to, and in fact, Karen felt herself being pushed back by magic and a bright, blinding light. Kendra was now completely in sync with the goddess possessing her, and she proceeded to shove Chameleon back through on the spot, without even gauging out the other eye, because she realized, it wasn't worth dirtying the hand that she had to use to touch her lover with the disgusting demon's blood, and besides that, she realized something else suddenly - Chameleon had played a rather steep gamble herself. To make not just a psychic attack, but a physical one, she not only had to sacrifice a son this time, but her own lord and master, quickly and in his sleep of course, but naturally his remaining sons would still be extremely displeased by her treachery against their father. Even though Kendra sparing her remaining eye might in fact have brought out greater powers in Chameleon than if she had plucked out both eyes, the fact was that Chameleon would now desperately need that power to fend off her remaining sons, who without their father to fear and her to hate for it, would give her a much harder time getting that final showdown against the wretches that banished them...

And when she did come, her daughter would be ready, for Kendra, both of them, had also prepared a true 'gift' for the last true Saurian witch, after everything she had to endure. After sealing the portal with a bright light, a strange sudden gasp and a helpless mewling sound came from the small reptilian female, a sound indicating that Kendra had allowed her to feel if for just one instant, the only instant she ever could in her cursed life, the pleasure of physical release. For her horrid mother hadn't just put her through the most inhumane of torture - She had cursed her from ever being able to have sex with anyone, of either gender. Stimulating her sexually at all could damage the seal, letting either the remaining Saurian sons or some other monster from that dimension able to come through. It was Chameleon's way of ensuring that if she truly wanted to be the last, that she damn well would be...

But to hell with her, to hell with everything else, and to hell with what it cost her, Kendra would give her at least one. One to remember for the rest of her life...

The pitiful and petty curse that Chameleon tried to leave in her hand when she pulled it back was easily taken care of. Pulling out the weird baseball-sized chunk of formless sludge-fetus, which was slowly but steadily growing bigger, Kendra took it with her to the corner of the room. Reshaping it with magic, she transformed the dark formless sludge into an oddly adorable orange capybara baby, like the kind you see in South America. She even added a really sweet little golden crown with ruby and pink diamond hearts around it on top of it's head, making it extra super adorable.

Then she brought the baby rodent over to Sally, explaining the odd situation to her, "Hey, Sally... Listen, I know you've already been through a lot, but just one more thing and then you can take a long rest, okay? Remember how when we were in South America for a few months, and one time someone offered to butcher a capybara for us to eat, but the capybara was so cute to you, you couldn't bear to eat it, even though you're normally okay with eating meat? So instead we paid to free it? Well, your mother tried to leave us a curse to try and kill you. We can't destroy it, so instead I kind of turned it into this cute capybara pet that will never die until we do. The curse will make you REALLY want to eat it, but since I made it look like that adorable capybara, I know you won't. It's too cute to eat, right? And you'd much rather have an adorable pet that will live as long as you instead of poisoning yourself with cursed, poisoned meat, right? Plus we can't get a dog because Cornelius' kneazle would freak out. So, yeah, basically this little bugger is kind of like our baby now! My special little fuck you too to your mother, and the whole Saurian race~"

Sally's eyes went wide, and indeed her mouth started to water at the sight of the adorable thing. Instantly a million recipes entered her head. BBQ, chili, and curry-Oh my! But... It was SO CUTE. There was no way she was going to kill something that cute! Yes, it was not exactly noble, but it was what was going to keep the world spinning this time, dang it, because the absolute LOVE Sally felt for that capybara, and Kendra, especially in this moment after she had simultaneously healed her body of all the horrors her mother inflicted upon it, and given her something that no Saurian female had had in probably at least centuries, if ever...? It was no contest which she would be faithful to. And with powers like that on her side, her mother didn't stand a chance if or when she came back for her, either...

"So, um." Nosedive finally spoke up, after Kendra three a blanket over the Saurian, allowing her some privacy and a chance to rest after what she had just been through. Taking the cursed little capybara with her, for Sally would be too weak to resist it's powers just yet, Kendra went back with it to her parents, who she understandably realized would have some questions. Namely, "What the HECK just happened...?"

Kendra stroked the adorable little harbinger of doom in her arms. "Basically? The Saurian race just doomed itself to extinction, but then, they already did that a long, long time ago. Basically what you just saw was the final nails in their coffin..."

It took Nosedive a moment to muster the will to shrug, not hiding his confusion but too relieved by the news to be bothered by that. "I mean... Sounds good to me? But what do you mean?"

Closing the door behind her, Kendra explained it to them in the hall, letting the other girl have peace and quiet for her well-deserved rest. "Sally told me she once had a dream, a dream of the far past of her people... In it, a Saurian sage and dark wizard told his king that he had been given a prophecy - That a Saurian female would someday be responsible for dooming the Saurian race to extinction. In response to this, the King decided to enslave all Saurian females. Not that they had ever treated their females like queens or goddesses the way most Puckling men do, but the Saurians became especially cruel. Their females were imprisoned in tiny rooms, and forced to wear robes that identified them as females, the slave class, and nothing more... The females started dying out, alarmingly fast. They were either murdered by males who now felt they had a right to abuse the females, died of exposure or starvation in their cells, or they just outright committed suicide to spare themselves any future pain... After a while, there were none left. And when blessed with the rare opportunity to right their wrongs, they instead foolishly cursed the very last Saurian witch with forced celibacy, because she would not give her life again in service the way so many poor Saurian females had tried, or died trying to escape... So while it may be true that the Saurian race will end with Sally, it was not her fault. It was in fact the Saurian males themselves, and their treatment of their females, their hatred and mistrust, that doomed them to vanish... Chameleon may have changed her body, but her hatred and her jealousy came from the fact that she still strongly bore the sentiments and spirit of her forefathers, of her time when she was male. Their own hate is what ultimately doomed them, just as they had doomed others. What goes around, comes around... So Sally knew, that's why the cycle had to end with her..."

Nosedive rubbed his forehead, pensive. "...I guess I'll let Wildwing and the others know that my baby and her beloved have officially earned my absolute and total trust."

Kendra ran up to him, and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "I already knew I always had it, Daddy. But thank you for finally believing in her too."

Dive smiled, and nodded. How could he not?

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With Nosedive's earnest approval, the others softened up a bit to Sal, even Mallory. And it was in fact, the first time that they allowed Sal to enter the Pond, that Queen Chameleon predictably tried to make her last stand. They all prepared for it, but it turned out they didn't even need to. It was always destined to be done by Sal's hand, and for how much the girl had feared it, it turns out she didn't need to either. The 'queen' didn't even look like a pauper when she arrived, she was barely more than a skeleton. She had either run out of sons to sacrifice or they were keeping far away from her and attacking on sight. So instead she had to use her own magical reserves, the very last of them. She had pushed herself too far this time, and it had finally taken it's toll on her...

She was trembling underneath the veil, which was now much too big on her shriveled-up self, crumpled up on the ground. She lacked any strength, even enough just to raise her head or a hand.

Sal didn't pity her, but she decided to give her a mercy killing anyways. If only to get it over with quicker. Duke handed her his sword, and without any hesitation, she did away with her...

She was silent for a few moments after. Not sad in the least, but shocked. The demon who hunted her as a child, who haunted her nightmares for years, was finally gone...

"So..." Kendra finally spoke up, "What do you want to do now, my darling?"

Sally turned back and gave her a smile. "...You know what? I think I wanna watch Ducktales."

"Oooh, totally!" Nosedive cried out in agreement. "I LOVE Ducktales! Both the old and the new! But pft yeah lets watch the new one, haha. Lets just, uh... Clean that whole mess up first, and then we'll totally watch some."

Sally and Kendra nodded, and then strangely, in unison, they announced together, "Mother Earth says she wants to consume Queen Chameleon's body, and absorb her remaining magical nutrients. We shall bury her in Earth to rot, and then we shall partake of cartoons. And popcorn."

"Kettle corn?" Kendra broke away to suggest.

Sally just shrugged, happy to oblige her. "Sure. I'm just going to burn half of it anyways."

He paused, then Nosedive shrugged too, flipped on a pair of shades, and moonwalked out of there. "And another one bites the dust~"

After spelling up a few shovels for the girls, Karen then walked like an Egyptian out of there as well.

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Sally only ever asked her lover once, a bit later and in private. "If it... Bothers you, us not being able to physically come together, well... I'd understand if you didn't want to continue as lovers, or see another who can-"

Kendra understood her suggestion. But she rejected it all the same. "I don't want either of those things. But thank you for your blessing. And anyways, well... I understand you can't be touched, or touch anyone else, but... Well, -I- can still touch me, and you can just happen to be in the same room, right...?"

The light bulb over Sally's head lit up, and she hissed with delight, internally cackling at her bitch mother's vengeful spirit and that of all her Saurian forefathers. Both technically virgins for life, and yet what a sex life it seemed there was still in store for them. "Loooooooophoooole~!"

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	15. Chapter 15

With the final threat gone, it was simply a matter of time before the girls perfected the magic they were seeking, and it turned out to be much sooner than they expected. Even after testing it several times, going back and forth with the two of them being as careful as ninjas, they were certain of the magic, just not how soon they really felt like using it...

So they kept it to themselves for at least a month, and showered sudden attentions onto Kendra's parents, which of course made them curious, and her guilty. So finally she could bear to hide it no longer, and one night over dinner, she finally confessed. "Mom, Dad... I can send you guys back home now..."

Nosedive swallowed against a thick throat, and Karen tensed up. It was just him and her to start. Cornelius was out on a double date with Franny and Goob's new girlfriend, a cute girl named Billie with a strangely serious train hobby. People laughed at her because they saw trains as outdated compared to cars and planes. But Billie fervently believed that super speedy trains were the way of the future, and Cornelius liked her passion, and was working with her on ways to make it as safe and eco-friendly as possible. One might think that would make their respective boyfriend and girlfriend jealous, but as a secret low-magic witch with frogs as familiars and crazy kung fu abilities, and a secret werewolf baseball superstar and bodyguard of the clumsy Cornelius, who also recently took up a music hobby in both his human and werewolf forms (Hey, howling was an art!), they actually had a lot in common and had plenty to talk about too when their partners went off to yak about science and engineering. Nah - Magic, music, sports and kicking butt were Franny and Goob's kind of thing! They were the jocks, the brawn - Cornelius and Billie were the brains~

So they were all off being a happy couple of couples, and Kendra was here, watching her father try to be happy, but also having very mixed emotions. 'Daddy dear, I can finally send you away forever, just like you've always wanted!', of course he wasn't about to just jump on the opportunity, even though he still longed more than ever to go back.

"...80 days." He suddenly announced.

Kendra smiled knowingly, and ever the book enthusiast, Karen did too. She kissed her husband's cheek. "A trip around the world, yes dear? The whole family, we all see the world, then come back and finally see yours?"

He hugged them both tight.

So they all got together. Nobody really brought it up, but they all knew, both Cornelius and the Ducks, what going on this trip meant. But they didn't say anything about it, they simply enjoyed each other's company. They visited all the states, and most of Europe, of course making a special stop to visit Karen's old friends and teachers at Hogwarts - Then they briefly visited a few other major cities in Africa and Asia, before flying back to Anaheim.

Only then did they finally address it. Wildwing called a meeting for all of them together when they got back, and was the one to ask, "So... Does this mean you've finally found a way to take us back to Puckworld?

Kendra nodded, slow and sad. Even though she was happy for them, she still couldn't help but feel sad... "Yes, Uncle Wildwing. The magic may fluctuate, but I should be able to return you to within ten or possibly fifteen years of your disappearance. Hopefully not much more than that, but I can't guarantee when exactly you may arrive. Every time I tested the portal it was a different year... Still, it's ready to go, whenever you are..."

Wildwing nodded, and thanked her, turning back to his own children and sharing the good news with them, that they would finally be going to their true home. They were a little apprehensive, but mostly excited.

Karen waited for them to finish sharing the good news, before addressing her own upcoming role to play. "I suppose, then, it's finally time..." She murmured, conjuring her bag of endless oddities and procuring from it two vials, one with a red hair, and one dark brown. Slipping these into her pockets, she approached her children, and gave both of them a tight, long hug. She couldn't bring herself to say anything at first. Her throat was thick and her eyes were overflowing with tears.

So Cornelius spoke first for her. "Mom... I love you. Always have, always will..." And he meant that, especially knowing what Kendra had told him once, not meanly, but because he asked it of her... And apparently there were very few timelines in which Karen, or any other woman that could have been his mother, ever decided to keep him...

Knowing that, he continued with utmost sincerity, "I understand why you gotta do what you gotta do. It's okay. I'm so grateful to you for raising me, for being there with me. And I'm so sorry for bugging you like a dumb brat about my father when I was a kid. Now I'm just so grateful to have had the amazing mother I did, and the family you gave me..."

Karen hugged him as tight as she could. "I'm so proud of the man you've become. You have all my blessings."

He nodded, and then, holding her back by the shoulders, he announced, "I've been preparing for this for a few years now. I've built a device that may HOPEFULLY allow us to contact each other after you've gotten to Puckworld... I'm not sure if it will work, and it may be at least a few years before we find the right frequency, and one of our transmissions successfully goes through, if at all... And I say 'few', but I have no idea how many it could be. Five, ten, fifteen..."

"Son, you're a genius." His mother comforted him. "No one else could do what you've done. I have complete faith it will work as you say it will..."

Then she turned to her daughter. "Kendra... Thank you so much for staying with Cornelius, for helping me to protect him... With the kind of power you have, you had so many options and opportunities, so many things you could do... But you chose to do this, so that I would be free to go without worry... Didn't you?"

Kendra smiled back. "Well sure, that's one reason! But you don't need to worry about me not doing plenty of other stuff I want and like to do in life! Also, you don't need to worry about not being worthy of Puckworld. This was an even trade between Puckworld and Earth, Mama. You for me. Puckworld will be getting a fine and powerful new goddess to admire. That is, as soon as you wish to become her..."

Karen's throat went thick, scared even though she was also very excited. Then she nodded, before taking a few steps back. "...Guess it's finally time." She agreed, and with that, she pulled out both her wands. Using them together, she levitated both of the vials of DNA , which then de-materialized and phased into light, along with her body and form. It remolded itself using the DNA given, and in a matter of moments she finally completed her new body.

A tall female, thanks to Grin's genetics. Tall and muscular, but still slender, thanks to Mallory's. Her feathers were grey like Grin's, but her hair was a cascade of red, from Mallory. Her bill was mostly duck-like from Mallory, but with just the tiniest hint of Grin's goose under-bite...

She was a big girl, even almost an inch taller than Nosedive now. She hadn't meant for that to happen, but, oh well. It seems like Nosedive didn't mind one bit, because from how he was looking at her, it was clear that he very much liked what he saw. He was struck dumb by his new gentle giant of a wife, who bashfully stood very still, letting everyone, not just her husband, admire her.

Of course as usual, Mallory ran her bill first and without shame. "Phew! I might almost be jealous you look so good, except -I'm- the reason you look so good~!"

Karen laughed along with her. "Yes! Thank you for the good genes, Mal! But lets not forget that Grin played a part, too~"

Humbly, Grin shakes his head, denying her praise. Not teasing him any more than that, Karen then turned to her husband, who had been staring at her dumbly all along, inquiring shyly of him, "So... Do you like it?"

Nosedive didn't answer her aloud. She already knew the answer anyways. Instead he just went to her, gathering her into his arms, hugging her the way he always wanted to, squeezing her tight, nuzzling his neck and cheek and bill against her neck and shoulder. She tensed up for a moment, though she normally melted into his embrace. But then, their hugs weren't normally this intense, either. It was like all the love in the cosmos was coursing through her body when he hugged her like that, and as soon as she felt his love for her, she knew she'd never regret leaving her old body, or even her old life behind...

Still, easier said than done...

She hugged her children for almost an hour straight. She placed over a hundred kisses all over baby Wilbur's face, and more than a few on his father, too. She knew the others wouldn't fault her for not being in any big hurry. Even still, eventually Kendra spoke up to remind her, "Mom... I think it's time for you guys to finally go home."

She took a deep breath, then nodded slowly. In her newly realized form, she went to stand with the Mighty Ducks and their family, finally truly one of them. Nosedive put his arm around her shoulder, and each of the other Ducks put a hand on her back. It did help, to be surrounded by so much love and support. But all the same, her eyes were full of tears. "I'll miss you forever. I'll pray every day for it until your message finally comes in..."

Her children nodded, and told their mother they loved her again. Then finally, Kendra raised her wand, and Sally began to gather magic into her palms. Swirling their magic together in tandem, they created a great swirling vortex in the short distance behind the Ducks, full of sparkling silver mist, like stardust.

"It'll be dark and cloudy for a while when you're in there..." Kendra informed them. "But I assure you, it will be bright and sunny on the other side."

Her father gave her a big smile, and reached over to ruffle his human children's hair one last time. "Hey, we're used to that! Thanks again, kiddos. For everything. I'm gonna miss you two like crazy. I know we'll see each other again someday, but even still, I just wanna say... I'm so proud of you two. And you..." He reached over and laid a firm pat on Sal's shoulder. "...Take care of my baby girl."

Sal nodded silently, too choked up to say anything in return. It was the same for Kendra and Cornelius, who were both crying and could also say no more.

So finally Nosedive stepped back and rejoined his family and teammates. "...Alright guys. See you on the other side."

They were about to take that last step into the portal, but Nosedive suddenly thought of one more thing. Hanging back just a second, he gave a salute, seemingly to no one in particular. "Oh! And, uh - So long, Planet Earth, and thanks for the chili dogs! It's been fun!"

It was calm at first when they entered the portal. Like stepping into a very cloudy, swirling, shimmering elevator. Then suddenly gravity seemed to drop beneath them, and they were pulled in every conceivable way. It didn't hurt, but it was beyond disorienting, like being on a thousand roller coasters and elevators at once. There was no controlling when they'd stop or where. But finally all the jerking and pulling was abruptly ended when they were spat back out the other side, onto the ground.

Thankfully for them it was relatively soft earth, earth that had been recently tilled. Of course the farmer whose budding crops they'd just been dumped on wasn't quite as thankful at first. But even in the absolute sour mood the old man was in at first, the others were more than glad to see him. Because just by looking at him, they could tell Kendra's magic had been a success. He was a Puckling!

"Now Dagnabbit, do you know how hard I-!" The old man began to rant, but then suddenly, he trailed off. He shifted his glasses, and got a better look at the group, before exclaiming in recognition, "W-Wildwing! I can't believe it! Is it really you? You've been gone so LONG...!"

The Ducks looked at Wildwing, who took a minute to place the old man's face. But once he did, he gasped, "Uncle Quill?"

The old man confirmed that he was indeed his mother's brother, then inquired of them in turn, "Where in the world have you been all these-No, wait, nevermind." He suddenly decided, coming up to the group and patting his nephews on the shoulder. "I'm sure it's a long story, and we haven't a moment to spare. You two should come with me right now. Your mother has been telling everyone for years that you'd return someday. More than anyone else she's kept the faith alive, and more than anyone she deserves to see her boys, now..."

He didn't go into what that meant, but Wildwing and Nosedive both already knew. With the team hurrying after him, the old man led them through the farmlands where several families of ducks were starting over. Only a few of the cities had been rebuilt, but there were many thriving little communities throughout Puckworld to rebuild and repopulate, now that the last of the droids that hunted them had been destroyed. Things people needed were still scarce and hard to grow on their recovering scorched earth, but at least the smoke and ashes of war had been blown away, and the healing process had started to do it's magic...

Leading them to a nearby barn, the old man, blonde like Nosedive but with lots of silver-white, led him to a small room where a puckling female laid in bed. She too was blonde with many streaks of white and grey, and besides just being on the thin side like most of the people they'd passed along they way, she also looked alarmingly sickly and frail, as if her bones were made of glass.

But as soon as she saw who it was who had just come to her bedchamber, she quickly sat up, life already returning to her eyes. "No... Nosedive? Wildwing? My baby birds, is that really you...?"

They fell into her open arms, shamelessly crying onto her breast for several moments before collecting themselves once more, and telling her all about the things that had happened to them over the years. The others waited for them outside, giving them a few moments of privacy. They could have gone on without them, but then at the same time, none of them would ever really think of it. After everything they'd been through over the years they were family, not just teammates.

And some more literally than others, as Wildwing finally informed his mother that she was, in fact, now a grandmother. He brought Tanya in, and their twins, and the elderly puckling female had another good cry over the years she had missed.

Then Nosedive brought Karen in, and his mother blinked owlishly at the sight of her. "My, she's certainly tall... But dear, if you've been stranded on an alien planet for years, how did you ever manage to find her?"

Nosedive and Karen looked at each other then, unsure at first. But Nosedive had never lied to his mother (at least, not about anything serious) and he wasn't about to start now. Pulling a picture from his wallet, Nosedive handed it to his mother. It was of his human family, and him, back when he too was a human. "That's actually what she used to look like... And those are our children, Cornelius and Kendra..."

She worried over the picture for a moment, confused. But she quickly put it aside for the sake of her son, accepting everything almost instantly. Well, almost everything... "Nosedive, alien child or not, what on any world possessed you to name your son 'Cornelius'...?"

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Eventually Mallory, Duke and Grin separated from the others to go seek out their own kin, but promised to stay in touch. Tanya stayed with her mate at first, though she had received word that both of her parents had mercifully survived the war, and were helping to put together one of the first of Puckworld's new cities. Their technology was keeping people alive, and Tanya wanted to join them soon, but for the time being, she chose to stay with Wildwing and Nosedive and Karen and their mother and mother-in-law, Kelly.

Kelly had apparently been on the brink of death for a couple of weeks now. People thought she would leave the world any day. But when her sons returned to her, miraculously so did her will to live, and in time, if only for a short time, with Tanya's scientific medical prowess and Karen's magical healing, she got much better. She ended up living five days over a year, when the doctors originally thought five days would have been the most. But eventually her age and health problems related to the war for her planet caught up with her, and the noble female finally was laid to rest, joining her mate at last on the other side.

She died with no regrets. Only her sons regretted not having more time with her, but they were grateful beyond words for every second they had gotten to see her...

Thankfully sorrow was soon replaced with joy as Nosedive was blessed with a son a few months later. He had actually almost wished for another girl, to name her after his late mother. But instead, at Wildwing's suggestion and Karen's whole-hearted acceptance, they all decided to name the blonde and white-feathered boy... Canard.

A red-headed, grey-feathered brother, Drake, who loved nothing more than hanging out and making mischief with his older brother, was born just a year after that.

Twin sons were added two years after that, a blonde but grey-skinned boy named Brook, and a white-feathered and red-haired boy dubbed Delta. Though twins they were not alike in any way, and in fact argued and quarreled and competed with each other more than anything, though they did still realized they loved each other at the end of the day, after mom and dad broke up whatever their fight was about that time.

A year after that yet another son, a boy with speckled white and grey feathers and reddish-blonde hair, was named Gloss, for he was indeed the most glossy-coated boy seen in years. He was exceptionally handsome, and unlike the rest of his brothers, either on the taller or broader sides, Gloss was a little shorter (still tall, just not outright huge) and slimmer like his father. In years to come he would quickly gain a reputation for always having some girl or several be love-struck over him and chasing after him...

A full five years after that, and they finally had another. They hadn't even planned this child, but it was finally the girl Nosedive had been hoping for. Of course they named her Kelly, and she grew up to be a very beautiful and very tall red-headed female with white feathers.

Two years after that they decided 'what the hell', and the universe apparently answered in kind, for they were given twins again, this time two girls. One blonde and white-feathered, named Kaia, and one grey feathered and red-haired, named Kora.

After that they were finally too busy with their current and very expansive family (though still nothing compared to the family Cornelius had amassed) to miss the children that had stayed on Earth, as much as they used to... But they still found time, at least a few minutes a day, where their hearts ached for them, and they wondered again and for the many-th time, would that communicator they always carried on them finally go through one day...?

One by one and two by two the children started growing up right before their eyes. The boys were all non-magical, more inclined towards science and sports, although most in the family considered Gloss' otherworldly good-looks and natural charm with the ladies to be a sort of magical power in itself.

Kelly was also an athlete like her brothers, and struggled to keep up with them all. Only Canard went easy on her, but he was exceptionally strong, and he usually had to go easy on everyone. Kora was not athletically inclined, she was always on a computer, and Tanya, her favorite aunt, had promised to tutor her when she was older. Only Kaia inherited her mother's gift for magic, though her powers were nowhere as strong as her mother's, she could do most simple forms of magic with no issue.

But then, Kaia is still young, she'll get stronger yet... That's what Karen was thinking on one particular day in her lifetime. The boys were teenagers now. The girls were still young children. All of them were playing together in their large front lawn, most like a little grassy valley, littered with white and yellow daisies, and close by to a cute little lake, while waiting for Karen to finish making her magic in the kitchen and adorn their picnic with all the tasty new things she'd learned to make over the years.

There's some towns and cities nearby, but with their big family and the demand for Karen's magical services, they like it better out here in the country, now finally more green than not after years of regrowth and magical care, where they can have some peace in between arranging the most pressing of Karen's appointments. She doesn't charge much at all for her magical help, but with how many pucklings have need for a miracle here and there, from a healing to a crop boost, it's soon clear that it's now Karen who is more the breadwinner than Nosedive. He, however, doesn't mind at all. It's nice to play hockey again just for fun, and him and all the old teammates get together here every winter and have a game together on Nosedive's lake when it freezes.

Karen's usually never been much for Winter. It was always always so cold in the Malfoy Manor, so Winter was always the hardest time for her. It wasn't much easier as a single mother who struggled to keep the heater on. But Puckworld Winters are just as far from these realities as the planet is from earth. Winter itself may be cold, but her husband and children are never far enough for her not to scoop one into a big warm hug. And even with their house being as big as it is now, to support all their many children, Karen never feels like it's too big... The house may be big, their surrounding property is fairly big, but... To Karen, it's just her little corner of the world.

However, today is a beautiful and hot Summer day, and the kids are either running around in the grass or swimming in the lake, leaving all the cooking to their parents in the kitchen without care. But their parents don't care either. It gives them more time to sneak romantic embraces to each other while the food cooks~

In fact, Nosedive is in the middle of rubbing his neck against her shoulder and neck, and since there are no children in their large and state of the art home currently, he's rather shamelessly grinding their hips together, too...

But suddenly, to his shock and confusion, a large spot on his wife's thigh is starting to vibrate, and ring...?

Wait. She keeps her puckworld communicator in her back pocket, which means...

They both look into each other's eyes in shock, with hope, with dread that it might not be what they are so dearly praying it is...

They take a step back, and Karen pulls out the old Earth communicator. She presses the button to accept the call, her heart on pins and needles, for there was on time when the communicator went off before, but had only been static when they answered...

"Please don't be static, please don't be static..."

God fucking damn it, it was static...

Wait.

An image flickered.

It flickered a few times, and then, it suddenly appeared clearly. A picture beamed in a holograph. It was... Sal. Still short but all grown up, standing there holding the capybara under one arm, a burned piece of toast sticking out of her mouth, and wearing a pink bathrobe. She blinked as their images came into her view as well, and then she suddenly gasped, letting the toast fall from her fangs without care. "Is that really you guys...?! Can you hear and see me?!"

The puckling couple nodded mutely in wonder at first, then affirmed aloud, "Yes!"

"Hold on!" They were told, and then there was a scurry. Sal was holding the communicator in one hand and her capybara in the other, who often sniffed the screen while her master ran. After dashing around the place, she finally came to a large and highly advanced-looking lab a few minutes later, "GUYS! GUYS! IT WENT THROOOUGH!"

There was a round of gasps, and then ecstatic shouts. "It went through?!" "IT WENT THROUGH, WOOOOO~!" "YES YES YES! IT WENT THROUGH!" "Wait, what went through? What are we all excited about again...?"

"Outta the way!" Sal growled, slipping and shoving past the many people crowding around, until finally she go to who was most important - Kendra and Cornelius, who both soon came into view.

"MOM! DAD!" Both of her first, human children exclaimed, and Karen burst into overjoyed tears. "My babies! Cornelius! Kendra! And oh my stars, is that Wilbur there behind you? Oh my goodness look how much you've grown sweetie~!"

Karen hugged Nosedive in celebration, and they cuddled just for a second in relief before going back to fawning over their babies. "Oh my goodness, sweeties, I'm so happy to see you again!" Their mother cooed after them.

"I'm so happy we found you!" Cornelius returned. "Because finding you was definitely not easy! We had somebody searching for your frequency every day for years, we never gave up hope, but - Aah, nevermind that, I'm just so glad we finally found you again! And now that we finally found your frequency out of the -billions- we had to search, we can finally call you at least semi-regularly from now on!"

Wiping away her tears, Karen nodded gratefully. "My amazing firstborn..." But then she gasped, remembering quickly that they weren't her one and only children anymore. So in great excitement, Karen took Nosedive's hand, and they ran out into the field, carelessly crushing daisies under their webbed feet as they ran as fast as they could to where the children were playing. "Canard, Drake, everyone, come quick!" Nosedive called after them.

Confused at their behavior, the kids stopped and looked at them. Karen was still so happy she couldn't stop crying, but she didn't care anymore. "Children come look! Come meet your oldest brother and sister!"

Life was magical... Life was full of opportunities to gain might and become strong. To become the kind of person who could take charge of a whole army, or be an entire army in one person. But in Karen's opinion, meetings like these, and the meaning it brought to your life... That was the most magical thing of all.

The End

(( AAAAAAH OMG, YES, this IS the end of the story! I can't believe I actually finished this thing! Even though it's pretty clear this is a *puts hands on cheeks and makes a PBBBBT-raspberry sound* kinda version of this story, lmfao. XD Definitely abridged, but, I still hope you guys enjoyed it! It's been a lot of fun and I'm very happy to finally give the story the happy ending Karen and Nosedive deserve~

BUT, I really need to get back to my original stories now. XD;;; So, if you liked my writing and you'd like to see what I have in store for the future, please be on the look out for "The Legend of the Lone Pearl Cowgirl", when I, god willing, finally finish writing that too! XD If you're a fan of the "space-western" genre like Trigun and Outlaw Star, you might like it. Also I may post the first few chapters on fictionpress at least, let me know if that's something any of you guys would care to see. ^^

Again, thank you so much for reading along with the story and for all the encouragement and kind words! It's really awesome to me that you guys are still making and supporting fanworks for a fandom this old, and that's what kept me going and actually got this fic finished, so, GO MIGHTY DUCK FANDOM! :DDDDD

Alright y'all! Love, peace, and duck grease! XDDD ))


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